


Reach out and touch

by Tunfisken



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: (because mob fucking), 69 (Sex Position), Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BDSM, BDSM Scene, Biting, Blood and Violence, Bondage, Breathplay, Chases, Choking, Cock Worship, Coming Untouched, Consensual Non-Consent, Consensual Somnophilia, Creeper, Dare, Deepthroating, Dildos, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones, Domdrop, Double Penetration, Drowning, Edging, Eggs, Exhibitionism, F/M, Face-Fucking, Femdom, Fisting, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Friends With Benefits, Frottage, Fucking Machines, Gangbang, Gentle Sex, Heavy BDSM, Kink Negotiation, Knotting, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation, Mild Blood, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mob fucking, Multi, Non-Consensual Bondage, Object Insertion, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Oviposition, Playful Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Polyamory, Polyhermits - Freeform, Praise Kink, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Predator/Prey, Respawn Mechanics, Riding, Rope Bondage, Rough Oral Sex, Safe Sane and Consensual, Safewords, Service Submission, Sex Magic, Sex Toys, Shame, Shame kink, Shibari, Size Difference, Size Kink, Sleepy Sex, Slime, Somnophilia, Spanking, Spider Sex, Stomach Bulge, Strap-Ons, Subdrop, Subspace, Sugar Daddy, Suspension Bondage, Teasing, Temporary Character Death, Tentacle Sex, Threesome - M/M/M, Trapped, Underwater Sex, Vibrators, Werewolf Sex, Werewolves, consensual mildly dubious consent, degradation kink, eating ass, light blood kink, monster fucking, sexual pranks, sexual traps, slight daddy kink, slight vore vibes? there's a slime lmao, tummy bulge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 89,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tunfisken/pseuds/Tunfisken
Summary: Grian was very excited when he finally arrived at the new world. As the hermits had been preparing the move, they had decided to add some new tweaks to spice things up for their seventh season. With a brand new list of achievements, it was only natural for some friendly competition of who could stay at the top of the leaderboard to spring up between the close-knit group of friends.“I challenge you to complete the list. By the end of the season, you gotta get every… single...  achievement. Are you up for it?”"Challenge accepted."
Relationships: Charles | Grian/Steffen Mossner | Docm77, Grian/Doc, Grian/Everyone, polyhermits
Comments: 390
Kudos: 888





	1. The things you gotta do

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy. This is gonna be a long one. I will add tags as they show up, with the exception of the 'mob/monster fucking' ones, since I figured I'd better warn y'all that that's going to be a thing, ahaha.
> 
> Mind the tags, and have fun!

~ * ~

It was the first day of a brand new world.

Well - for Grian, at least. He was a few days late. It had taken surprisingly long to arrive in the right world by rocket and boat. But no matter the fact that the other hermits were probably all decked up in full diamond by now—

He was excited. He knew this world was different from the last, both in seed and plan and - most importantly - _tweaks._ Yes, he knew of the tweaks that were following them from the old world into the next, as well as the new ones being added. He’d been a part of the decision making, after all!

As Grian rowed towards the spot he’d picked out for his starter base, he passed by a lagoon - and though it was beautiful, the thing that made Grian do a double-take was not the scenery, but rather the building located within it.

Or rather, the _two halves_ of a building. _His_ building, to be exact - the haunted mansion he’d auctioned away at the end of the last season. Gods, what had Doc and Bdubs done to it?

Grian changed his direction so he could row into the bay. He just _had_ to stop and talk to them, figure out what in the world had possessed them to split the building in two—

As Grian stepped out of the boat, he heard voices arguing.

A smile was already spreading on his face as he made his way up the short climb to the grassy area in between the two half houses. Excited exclamations from the owners of the two halves met him as soon as Grian’s face was visible to the two men.

“Bdubs! Doc! What in the world is this?” Grian laughed as he made his way over.

Bdubs guaffed. “Why, it’s our starter-houses! Or, half starter-houses, I suppose… but that’s no matter!”

Grian was giggling along, and he wiped at his eye as he said, “Yeah, I- I can _see_ that.”

Doc spoke up, “Yeah, yeah, it’s been great… except for the fact that a certain neighbour of mine refuses to mow the lawn.”

“Well, at least my house has some interior!” Bdubs immediately exclaimed.

Ah. Grian now knew what the two had been talking about when he arrived.

“You know I’ve been busy doing achievement hunting, dude. I’ve got a lead on you and everything!”

“Wait,” Grian cut in. “Achievement hunting?”

Bdubs cut in before Doc could answer. “Oh yeah, it’s the big talk of the season. It’s all in good fun, of course, despite the fact that _some-”_ and here, Bdubs gave Doc a sharp look, “- are taking it way too seriously.”

“I was challenged, man! This is about the honour of the goat!”

Grian blinked in confusion, before stating, “...do I even want to know what that means.”

“No.” “Yes.”

Bdubs and Doc glared at each other. Then Doc turned back to Grian. “Look man. It’s pretty simple. The hermits are doing a challenge of who can take the lead in getting the most of the new achievements. I have sworn to be the best.”

“Oh!” Grian exclaimed as he finally got what the two of them had been arguing about. “How do I get in on it?”

Bdubs gave another bark of laughter at Grian’s lack of hesitation, but Doc didn’t seem to find it as humorous as his neighbour did. A condescending smirk spread out on his face. 

“Are you sure you can handle it? Some of them are pretty intense,” he accentuated the sentence by giving Grian a once-over, before adding, “No offence.”

Oh. That settled it. Grian glared daggers at Doc while giving a smirk of his own. “Well, Doc, I think I could do better than _you,_ that’s for sure. No offence.” Grian added a wink sent Doc’s way for good measure.

Doc’s smirk fell. “Oh? In that case, how about we up the ante?”

“Wait,” Bdubs said hesitatingly from beside them, but neither Grian nor Doc paid him any mind. The old rivalry between the two of them was still fresh and alive beneath the surface, and with the teasing and the prospect of a challenge, neither one knew how to back down.

“What did you have in mind, Doc?” Grian said.

A toothy grin spread on Doc’s face, and he leaned down towards Grian. The smaller man froze, and he shivered when Doc’s teeth grazed the shell of his ear.

“I challenge you to complete the list. By the end of the season, you gotta get every… single... achievement. Are you up for it?”

The words were growled directly into Grian’s ear, and it made heat bloom in his lower stomach - but he ignored it as he scoffed, “Of course I am. By the end of the season, you say? Piece of _cake,_ Doc.”

Grian then turned his face towards Doc so he could press a teasingly soft kiss to the edge of Doc’s mouth. Doc gasped softly and parted his lips, and Grian wasted no time before licking at Doc’s upper lip. Then, he paused, and whispered the sentence that would affect all his plans for the season.

“Challenge accepted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Touch - Troye Sivan.


	2. The curl of your lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Wooden hoe] Have sex with a fellow hermit for the first time in the new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First up - Scar.

~ * ~

Grian had just spent his first night in the new world after finishing the beginnings of his starter base. He was eating some melon slices for breakfast while reading back on the group chat's activities since he'd joined, and as he was looking at his communicator, he noticed that there were different numbers behind the hermits' names.

Nothing unusual about that, but Grian still wondered what they were counting at the moment - so he sent Xisuma a private message.

_ <Grian> Hey X! _

Only a few moments after Grian hit 'send', the communicator lit up to signal that Xisuma was typing.

_ <Xisuma> Hello Grian! How was your first night on the server? :) _

He smiled down at the screen. Xisuma was such a great admin, always caring so much for the hermits he was leading.

_ <Grian> It was good! The jungle is lovely :D _

_ <Grian> Also, i was wondering what the counters were tallying up at the moment? _

_ <Xisuma> That's good! _

_ <Xisuma> Ah _

_ <Xisuma> That would be how many of the new achievements people have gotten ;) _

Grian blinked. Oh. Most hermits had at least one or two already, but some - and Grian grumbled to himself when he realised that Doc was currently in the lead at five - were well on their way to work through the list.

_ <Grian> :O _

_ <Grian> I need to catch up, then _

_ <Grian> Thank you X <3 _

_ <Xisuma> Lol! _

_ <Xisuma> No problem :) _

Grian put his communicator away. As he worked on finishing his breakfast, Grian decided that he'd need to make some sort of plan.

Starting with going through the list and seeing what it actually entailed seemed like a good first step. Grian had only been a part of the general decision to add the achievements - not what the specifics would be. How hard could it be, right?

He licked the watermelon juice off of his fingers before throwing the green skins into the forest. He wiped his hands off of his pants, and pulled up the overview of the active achievements.

_ [Wooden hoe] Have sex with a fellow hermit for the first time in the new world. _

_ [Stone hoe] Have sex with 5 different hermits. _

_ [Gold hoe] Have sex with 10 different hermits. _

_ [Iron hoe] Have sex with 15 different hermits. _

_ [Diamond hoe] Have sex with every active hermit. _

Grian giggled to himself. Well. This was already starting out great.

_ [You've got stamina] Fuck 5 different hermits in a single day. _

_ [Advanced positioning] Be fucked by 3 hermits at the same time. _

_ [Please don’t bite] Perform oral on every active hermit in a single day. _

Grian raised an eyebrow - some of these would sure take some planning and goodwill from his fellow hermits, but so far, so good. It all seemed to be reasonable enough—

He read on.

_ [Monsterfucker] Fuck all hostile mobs. _

Oh.

Well. Wasn't  _ that _ a thought. Grian felt his cheeks redden, and he couldn't help but wonder who had suggested that particular achievement to be added to the list. He'd like to thank them.

_ [Nice decoration] Be suspended off of the ground for 1 hour. _

_ [Parrots and the bats II] Get some eggs inside you. _

Grian's breathing was quickening, and he felt his heartbeat pound against his ribcage. He was getting  _ ideas— _

_ [Through the looking glass] Watch 2 or more hermits have sex from start to finish. _

_ [Industrial revolution] Get fucked by a redstone-powered machine. _

_ [Conquer the mountain] Get fucked by the biggest dick on the server. _

Grian snorted, but he quickly moved on, excited to see what the rest of the list entailed.

_ [Voyeur 2 electric boogaloo] Watching other hermits have sex for a total of 5 hours. _

_ [Is this the end..?] Reaching climax more than 3 times in a single session. _

_ [Birds of a feather] Have sex with phantoms mid-air. _

_ [Marathon] Spend the night in other hermits' beds for a streak of 31 days. _

_ [Modern time warfare] Have sex with weapons equipped. _

Grian's breath caught in his throat as his thoughts immediately went to Doc, to that time he'd pointed his trident at Grian during the civil war—

_ [World traveller] Have sex in every biome. _

_ [It's a deal] Paying for goods/services with sexual favours. _

_ [Traps and troubles] Get caught in a sexual trap/prank. _

_ [Enderman farm] Get fucked and then filled with enderpearls. _

Grian moaned quietly at the mental image that provided. He rubbed his thighs together. Even just reading the list was turning him on  _ way _ too much.

_ [Stickier situation] Getting caught by slime or honey, and then fucked by a mob. _

Screw it. Grian took one hand off of the communicator and shoved it down his pants. He let out a groan as his hand wrapped around his dick, which was already leaking up a storm. As he moved his hand, he kept reading.

_ [Lightning strike] Getting impaled by a trident during a thunderstorm. _

His breath hitched, another image of Doc popping up in his mind. He was already close.

_ [Tip accordingly] Inserting diamonds into a fellow hermit. _

_ [Too much of a good thing] Get a sex-related death message in the chat. _

Grian bit his lip as his hand sped up.

_ [Dungeon crawling] Visit every kind of mob spawner in a single day. _

With a cry, Grian came.

As he sat there, panting and enjoying the rush of endorphins that came with the afterglow, Grian couldn't help but to smile. This was going to be so much fun.

Grian was so happy when he found the zombie spawner beneath the location of his starter base. What a great way to get started on the achievements - but he decided to look around his neighbouring areas first, and when he stumbled upon Scar working on his snail— Well. He was certainly glad he did so, an idea already taking shape in his mind.

He almost revealed himself to Scar by how loud he was giggling once he noticed Scar’s new outfit. Robes, boxers and slippers? Really? Luckily, he’d managed to quiet down enough for Scar not to realise he was there. 

As Grian set up the prank, digging the long tunnel to Scar’s base and preparing the bubble elevator, he was already hoping to get to finish his first achievement of the season with his new neighbour.

As he watched from the top of a nearby tree as zombie after zombie shot out of the passage in the jungle and headed Scar’s way, Grian had to stifle a giggle beneath his hand. Scar was just too precious.

Scar was obviously confused as another wave of mobs hit him, and he hurriedly pillared up to avoid the zombies. He tried to keep working on his build, but soon he stumbled and fell off of his makeshift scaffolding - and the hoard of mobs that had built up was on him in a heartbeat.

Grian’s giggle turned into full-blown laughter when Scar froze, and moments later Grian’s communicator buzzed in his pocket, signalising the death message that had confirmed what Grian had already seen. Scar came running out of the doorway to his base, and he fell down from the platform and landed on the ground in a heap of limbs and panic. Then the zombies were on him again.

Grian was getting near hysterical now, as peals of laughter made their way out of him when Scar once again disappeared in a poof of smoke and particles, before Grian’s communicator buzzed in his pocket yet again.

After the third death, Grian was starting to feel kind of bad, and when Scar obviously started looking for where the zombies had come from, Grian decided to reveal himself.

He climbed down the vines of the tall jungle tree, and greeted Scar with a loud, “Hello, neighbour!”

The sound of Grian’s voice made Scar jump, before the man spun around to face him. Scar’s shoulders visibly relaxed as a smile made its way onto his face. “Well, hello there, Grian!”

Just then, another zombie popped out of the hole behind Scar’s back, and it struck him - and Scar poofed out of existence yet again.

Grian bent over from laughing so hard, and he was still giggling while plugging up the top of the bubble elevator with a block of dirt. Scar was giving him a playful scowl from the entranceway of his base when Grian turned around, wiping at his eyes.

“I assume this was your doing, then?”

“I’m sorry,” Grian laughed as he made his way over to Scar before climbing the ladder to join him on the small platform outside of his base. “It was just too funny. I picked up your stuff, by the way.”

Scar sat down on the platform, Grian joining him as soon as he was done climbing. They let their feet dangle over the edge. Grian kicked his feet, while Scar replied with a triumphant smile, “I  _ knew  _ those zombies weren’t natural.”

“What clued you in?” Grian asked.

“Probably when the first drowned walked out of the jungle,” Scar replied, and then the two of them broke down in giggles yet again, Scar joining in on Grian’s fun, knowing it wasn’t mean spirited.

Once the two of them had calmed down, Grian let himself slump down until he was laying on his back, staring up at the bright blue sky. After a moment, Scar joined him.

Grian said, “Also, I’m sorry for delaying your work so much - but hopefully I can make it up to you.”

“It’s all good, my friend. Are you planning to set up an xp farm with that spawner or something? Because access to that would be more than enough—”

“Actually,” Grian interrupted, “I had something in mind already, if that’s okay? I didn’t come over here  _ just  _ to prank you.”

“Oh?” Scar asked, turning his head to watch Grian.

Grian turned until he was laying on his side, watching Scar with a bashful smile. His face felt warm, though if it was from laughing, excitement or embarrassment, he wasn’t sure. “Yeah. I wanted to offer you a housewarming present of sorts? Or— a  _ snail…  _ warming present?” Grian blinked. “That sounds weirder than I thought it would.”

Scar huffed out a breath of laughter. “A housewarming gift, sure. It better be good since you’re doubling it as repayment,” he joked.

Grian’s smile returned, softer as he felt what was undeniably a blush dust his cheeks. “I sure hope so. I’d like to ride you.”

Scar’s breath caught.

Grian hurriedly added, “If that’s too forward, you obviously don’t have to accept - it’s just an offer. I’m happy to go with sharing the spawner—”

His words cut off when Scar leaned over to press his lips to Grian’s.

Grian moaned and wrapped his arms around Scar’s neck, and the taller man shifted until he was above Grian, knees on either side of the smaller man’s hips.

Soft lips were working Grian's own open, and Scar dipped his tongue into Grian's mouth with a moan. Grian responded in kind, letting his enjoyment of Scar's actions be known with a groan as he coaxed Scar's tongue further into his own mouth before sucking on it, drawing it deeper and fluttering his own tongue over Scar's.

Scar's breath hitched, and he rolled his hips down, making their groins press against each other, the thin fabric of Scar’s boxers doing little to conceal the shape of him against Grian’s crotch. Grian bucked up into the feeling, pulling Scar even further down towards himself by his grip around the taller man's neck.

They rutted against each other for a while, making out as the air around them grew heated, until Scar broke the kiss to start licking and biting at Grian's neck.

Grian panted, a breathless giggle leaving him as he moaned and said, "You know, i-if I'm going to ride you, we need to switch positions, r-right?"

Scar paused his work on working a dark hickey onto Grian's neck, still pressing close to Grian's skin when he murmured out a joking complaint, "Aww... but I was having so much fun having you on your back like this."

Grian carded his fingers through Scar's hair, even as his hips bucked back up into Scar's warmth, moaning slightly at the delicious friction it provided. "I know, I know. But I promise you it's gonna be fun when I'm on top, too." A startled whine escaped him when Scar bit down sharply on Grian's neck.

When Scar released the skin from between his teeth, he licked over the bruise he'd managed to leave there, once, twice—

And then he said, "Fine," before grabbing Grian's shoulders and rolling the two of them around, until Grian was sprawled out on top of Scar, blinking down at him with a dazed expression.

"Oh," he breathed out, before another giggle bubbled up and left his mouth. "Hi there."

"Hi," Scar smiled up at him, a slight blush covering his cheeks and nose.

"Let me get some clothes off, hm? And if you could get that dick out for me, that'd be greatly appreciated," Grian said with a playful wink. Scar responded with a startled laugh, shaking his head before doing as Grian had asked. 

As Scar pulled his ridiculously patterned boxers down, allowing his dick to spring free of the fabric, bobbing enticingly up in the air, Grian beamed down at him, saying, "Thanks!" before swiftly pulling his sweater off, shaking out his hair once the fabric had been discarded to the side.

Grian stood up to remove his pants - and he remembered to get the bottle of lube from one of the pockets - before carelessly draping them over his rumpled sweater. He paused to take in how amazing Scar looked in that moment - robe hanging open and draped out around him, lower legs still hanging off of the edge of the small balcony, hair mussed from Grian's hands in it before. Face flushed, lips parted, dick hard and leaking, bunched up boxers resting on his thighs.

He licked his lips, before straddling Scar's lower hips again. He waved the bottle of lube in Scar's face, before saying, "I'm just going to do quick work of the prep, if you don't mind? I kind of want you inside me right away."

Scar lifted his hands and settled them on Grian's hips, squeezing them. His flush deepened, and he said, voice breathless, "Yeah, sure, go right ahead."

With a smile, Grian popped the cap of the bottle open, and poured some of the lube onto his fingers. The liquid was already warm from the bottle having been in Grian's pocked for so long, and now he mentally applauded himself for that fact. Without preamble, he reached one hand behind himself and slipped two fingers inside.

He moaned, and spread his fingers, pumping them inside himself for a few moments to spread the lube around. Scar was watching his face intently, and it made Grian ache, dick twitching as a dribble of precome made its way from the tip. Scar bit his lip, fingers flexing on Grian's hips.

Grian pressed another finger inside himself, testing his resistance, before deeming it good enough. He pulled the fingers out, and reached back around himself before wrapping his hand around Scar's dick. The taller man's eyes released their hypnotic grip on Grian as Scar's eyelids fell shut, hips twitching up into Grian's hand as he pumped him a few times to spread the lube around.

Grian slowed his movements, but kept his hold on Scar's dick as he sat up on his knees, shuffling forwards a bit until he could position himself so that the head of Scar's dick was pressing against his hole.

"You ready?" Grian breathed.

Scar moaned, hips twitching again, but Grian's grip on him made it so that he couldn't push inside Grian just yet. The taller man whined, and Grian giggled once again at his eagerness. He couldn't help but tease a bit.

"Scar?" He repeated, his smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm ready, I'm ready, just—"

Scar's words turned into a yell when Grian sank down on his dick, taking it in halfway before slowing down. Grian moaned as he gyrated his hips, slowly working Scar deeper inside himself until he was fully seated on the taller man's hips, his ass flush with Scar's thighs.

A satisfied moan left Grian’s lips as he let himself relax in the position for a moment, gently rocking his hips back and forth as he ground himself down onto Scar’s dick. “Oh, I’ve missed this,” Grian sighed, moving his hands so he could rest them at Scar’s chest for stability.

“Goodness,” came Scar’s eloquent reply. He was already sounding wrecked, and when Grian peeked through his fluttering eyelashes, Scar was certainly looking the part, too. “Gods, when you said you wanted to prepare yourself quickly, I didn’t think you meant to only lube yourself up. You’re so  _ tight.” _ The last part came out as a moan.

“Heh. Not for long, if I have anything to say about it,” Grian grinned, and Scar blinked up at him a few times, already looking devastated as his hips kept twitching upwards, but Grian’s weight was still pressing down on him enough for it to merely jostle their bodies around, rather than give Scar the friction he so obviously was craving.

Grian tensed his thighs, and guided by Scar’s hands still clutching his hips in an iron grip, Grian raised himself up—

And then he decided to be  _ mean.  _ Grian bounced down and back up again, the movement quick and the friction  _ amazing. _

Scar shouted beneath him, and this time when his hips snapped upwards, Grian moaned as it made the taller man press even further inside him, making Grian’s thighs quake.

They worked up to a rhythm like that. Grian bouncing on Scar’s lap, and Scar thrusting up to meet him halfway. The taller man was moaning and pleading, uttering Grian’s praises in a heated, filthy stream of words that made Grian burn.

He couldn’t quite feel his arms anymore, all Grian’s brainpower and attention going to the slide of Scar inside him, the ache in his thighs, Scar’s hands on his hips, Grian’s dick hard and leaking, and all the  _ noises _ the two of them were making.

“Grian -  _ Grian,  _ I’m going to—”

The heat inside Grian was making it hard to think. The only response he was able to give Scar to let him know that Grian had heard him was to moan and sit down fully once again, keeping Scar all the way inside as Grian ground his hips down,  _ working  _ Scar’s dick.

Scar’s back bowed, and his head snapped backwards as he came, a hoarse cry tearing out of his throat. Grian’s breath hitched at the gorgeous sight. He kept rolling his hips, moaning softly as he felt Scar twitch inside him as the man came.

When Scar’s back relaxed down against the floor of the balcony once more, Grian pet his chest, gently trying to get his attention without ruining the afterglow. Scar’s eyes were still closed and he was breathing heavily, but he responded with a small sound to Grian’s soft administrations.

Grian asked, “Do you want me to pull off? Or would it be okay if I made myself come with you still inside?”

A soft, broken noise left Scar’s lips, and his eyelids parted before Scar met Grian’s eyes. “C-could I do it for you? And please - stay where you are. Just try not to move too much.”

Grian made a sound that was caught in between a giggle and a moan, but he nodded his consent at Scar, before leaning back until he could support his weight behind himself, propping himself up on Scar’s thighs. The new position gave Scar clear access and view of where Grian’s dick was hard and flushed with blood. “Go right ahead, Scar, you wonderful lad.”

Scar laughed hoarsely, but he did let go of Grian’s hips with one hand before wrapping it around Grian’s erection instead.

Immediately, Grian’s neck snapped backwards as he moaned towards the sky, thighs trembling. He felt Scar shift inside him, and it made his dick throb.

When Scar started moving his hand at a moderate pace, thumbing over Grian’s foreskin as he spread the precome around, making the movements slick and heated, Grian closed his eyes. His breathing was heavy and sharp, and he was moaning. “Oh, Scar… that feels amazing. I love the way you feel inside of me.”

Scar squeezed him,  _ hard _ , and Grian cried out, his entire body tensing before going boneless on top of Scar once more. Scar said, voice still raspy, “You like that, yeah? When I’m just a little bit rough with you? When I do  _ this—”  _ Scar punctuated his words with another squeeze that made Grian choke on his own spit, “— and you tighten up so good around me? Go on, work yourself around me. No moving.”

The politely demanding tone was one Grian had come to expect from Scar after the last season, but it never failed to leave him breathless. Grian was panting harder, now, and he felt drops of sweat dotting his forehead at how warm he was feeling when he started purposefully squeezing around Scar’s dick inside him, moaning as his muscles worked around it, letting him really  _ feel  _ the width.

“That’s it,” Scar praised. Grian could hear from the tone of his voice that he was smiling. “Come on, now. Don’t you want to feel good?”

Grian nodded, feeling almost frantic with the heat. His spine, his dick, his stomach, his very  _ core  _ felt like he was overheating, the warmth and pleasure radiating around his body and making it hard to focus on anything else.

“Then come, Grian.”

With a soft gasp, Grian did.

It was a prolonged, excruciating kind of relief when he did, as it made him not have to make the conscious decision of working himself around Scar’s dick - his body did it for him with every contraction of his muscles, and as waves of heat made their way through him, Grian’s voice hitched into a long, drawn out moan.

Grian’s elbows were locked in place behind himself, but he could feel the limbs trembling with the tension of keeping himself upright. Scar reached around him and pulled him forward, until Grian was once more sprawled out on Scar’s chest.

“Mmm,” Grian moaned, feeling like his brain had left him, along with his muscles and his willingness to move. “Gods.”

The vibrations in Scar’s chest when the taller man laughed tickled Grian’s cheek. “Yeah, I agree. That was  _ some _ housewarming present, I must say. Thank you for your generosity,” Scar added with a playfully teasing voice.

Grian wrinkled his nose before giggling tiredly, “I’m glad you liked it. Would you mind letting me stay the night? I don’t fancy the trek back to my base. I can barely even feel my legs right now.”

“Of course, Grian. Let’s get cleaned up first though, yeah?”

Grian groaned, before sitting up and letting Scar’s soft dick slip out of himself with a shudder. “If we must.”

Scar went inside his base to grab some towels for them so that they could wash off in the lake that was right next to Larry the snail, as Grian had been informed the starter-base was called, when he decided to check his communicator to see if he’d gotten the first achievement.

_ Grian has made the achievement [Wooden hoe] _

When his finger hovered above the message, it displayed the description. 

_ [Wooden hoe] Have sex with a fellow hermit for the first time in the new world. _

A few ‘gg’s as well as an ‘oooh!’ from Mumbo in the chat made Grian smile down at the screen while shaking his head. Then, he noticed the other messages that had come around the same time as his achievement had shown up.

_ Goodtimewithscar has made the achievement [Stone hoe] _

_ Docm77 has made the achievement [Through the looking glass] _

A quick glance showed Grian that the counter was indeed showing Doc as having six achievements, rather than the five he’d had before. Scar was now at three, while Grian had gone from zero to one.

With a frown, Grian checked what the achievements Scar and Doc had gotten were, and when he did, Grian’s eyes snapped up as he immediately started scanning the jungle around him, trying to catch sight of the half-creeper. It could have been a coincidence, but the  _ timing— _

_ [Stone hoe] Have sex with 5 different hermits. _

_ [Through the looking glass] Watch 2 or more hermits have sex from start to finish. _

Grian saw nothing, and then Scar came back with the towels. With one last searching glance thrown into the wilderness around them, Grian turned his back as he started climbing down the ladder, joining Scar in washing up before bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Touch - Troye Sivan


	3. In the morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Advanced positioning] Be fucked by 3 hermits at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Impulse, Tango and Zedaph.  
> Mind the added tags!

~ * ~

The next morning found Grian returning to his base. He ruffled Scar's hair before he left, seeing if the man was awake enough for them to maybe grab breakfast together before Grian took his leave, but the sleepy grumble of protest that Scar made at being roused was enough to tell Grian that Scar had no plans of waking up quite yet. 

With an affectionate chuckle, Grian brushed Scar's bangs aside before pressing a quick kiss to the man's forehead. A soft sigh left Scar's lips, and Grian smiled and took his leave before the heat and humidity of the jungle would get too stifling, but not before walking through Scar’s patch of crops and helping himself to a few handfuls of wheat.

As Grian was working on what he'd begun mentally referring to as his 'hobbit hole', his mind was already strategizing for how he could get a lot of achievements rather quickly - he wanted to remind Doc that Grian was a force to be reckoned with. His communicator pinged in his pocket, the sound telling him that someone had messaged the general chat, and Grian pulled the device up with a smile, wondering who it might be that was up as early as himself.

_ <ImpulseSV> Is anyone else close to a spawner right now? _

Grian gazed over his shoulder, shooting a look back at the entrance of his base. He might still be within range of his zombie spawner, so he shot Impulse a message back.

_ <Grian> Me _

_ <ImpulseSV> Aw, okay. Thanks :) _

Grian smiled at his communicator. Impulse was always so cheerful, and even over text it was infectious. 

_ <Grian> You want me to move away from it? i'm not using it atm! _

_ <ImpulseSV> Ah, if you wouldn’t mind? I’m trying to test my skeleton grinder :) _

_ <Grian> Yeah, no problem! _

Then, Grian was struck with inspiration.

_ <Grian> Actually _

_ <Grian> Would it be cool if i came over to have a look at it? i’d like to set up an early xp grinder as well, and i could need the help :D _

It didn’t take long for Impulse to reply.

_ <ImpulseSV> Sure thing man! If you head over right now, I’ll be able to show you the mechanics of it before sealing it off? :) _

_ <Grian> Awesome! be right there _

Grian was grinning by the time Impulse had sent him the coordinates to his starter base, and Grian made sure to craft a book and quill for taking notes (he was actually planning to learn something during his visit), before making sure the lube was still in his pocket after last night. He grabbed a boat, and headed off towards the ocean.

After boating for some time, the sun luckily not high enough in the sky for it to be sweltering quite yet, Grian pulled up to the harbour by Impulse’s desert village, the man himself waiting for Grian by the nearest house. Impulse was smiling and waving at him, and Grian returned it with a grin and a wave of his own before he stepped out of the boat. As he made his way up towards the desert village, Grian was surprised to see Tango walking around between the buildings, seemingly counting up villagers.

When Grian walked up to Impulse, though, Tango turned towards the two of them with a smile, and jogged over to give Grian a hug after Impulse had done the same.

“Hey Gri,” Tango said, “You finally made it over, huh?”

“Yeah yeah,” Grian laughed, taking in the way Impulse and Tango both were decked out in full diamond armour, compared to Grian’s own iron one. “I’m a bit of a slow poke, but I’m happy to finally have joined you all!”

Impulse laughed bashfully before saying, “Don’t worry Grian, you’ll catch up to us in no time. How was your first few days?”

Impulse started walking, presumably towards his farm, and Grian easily fell into step with the taller man. “Oh, it was great. I met Bdubs and Doc on my first day, and got dragged into the whole achievement challenge business. Yesterday I hung out with Scar after working on my starter base, so as you said - I’m catching up.”

“Oh?” Tango drawled out from where he was following behind the two of them. “Interesting…”

Impulse started sputtering beside him, and Grian shot a serious look over his shoulder before locking his gaze onto Impulse.

“I catch your drift, and yes - I’d like for us to assist each other… But first things first. I really, really wanna learn how to set up an xp grinder first. I wasn’t joking about that.”

A startled laugh left Impulse’s mouth, accompanied by a guaff from Tango.

Impulse said, “I’m sure we can work something out, Grian.”

Grian’s face lit up in a smile. “I’m counting on you, then. Please take good care of me,” he added with a wink, causing Tango to wheeze. Impulse himself, on the other hand, seemed to calm down at Grian’s words. Or, no. Not calm down, but rather—

Impulse seemed to become more serious. His expression didn’t fall as much as it _hardened,_ and Grian felt his breath catch when Impulse’s eyes gained a spark of intensity that Grian couldn’t remember having had directed at himself since their time together as hippies.

“Oh, don’t worry. We will.”

  
  
  


Impulse showed him the skeleton spawner, like he’d promised he would, and he took great care of explaining the specifics of the water streams and the drop chute, down to the exact block placement. Grian was infinitely thankful for the fact that he’d thought to bring a book and quill with him to note the numbers down—

Because Tango was not making it easy for Grian to pay much attention.

At first, Grian had thought the blond man would let Grian be, seeing as Tango had stopped contributing to the conversation Grian and Impulse was having, in favour of Tango looking and typing at his communicator. At some point, though, Tango had repocketed the device, and had started moving closer.

Fleeting touches would softly trail over Grian’s lower back when Tango walked up behind him to look at Impulse’s farm, a hand would squeeze Grian’s hip whenever he was leaning in to take a closer look at something Impulse was pointing out. Once, when Grian was bending down to poke his head into the kill chamber to take a quick look up the chute, the back of a hand dragged over the top of his ass.

Grian straightened up as quickly as he could without banging his head against the stone of the farm, but when he turned to throw a playful glare Tango’s way, Grian stopped and blinked when he found that Tango was on the other side of the room, and that _Impulse_ was the one standing behind him. His eyes were, if anything, even _more_ intense than before, but his smile was soft. _Teasing._

“And that’s about it, as far as the farm goes,” Impulse concluded while Grian was still frozen before him. “Any questions?”

Grian’s cheeks were burning. He licked his dry lips, and said, “No, I - thank you. I think I got it.” He tucked his notebook away, and looked back at Impulse.

Impulse’s gentle smile sharpened, just the tiniest bit. “Good. You ready for us to… assist you some more?”

Grian’s heart was pounding. He was so excited for this - he knew from experience that Impulse and Tango both were incredible in bed, but he’d never actually had the opportunity to be with them at the same time. If the teasing touches and confident way Impulse was acting right now was anything to go by, Grian was not doubting that he was in for a good time.

“‘Ello, lads! I didn’t miss anything, did I?”

Grian startled at the new voice. He took a step to the side to take a look at who had just entered the room behind Impulse—

And, yes, it was Zedaph. The man continued speaking without waiting for anyone to respond. “Oh, great. I’d hate to be tardy. I heard we’ve got a hot twink to play with.” Then, Zedaph caught sight of Grian peeking at him from behind Impulse, and Zedaph’s face lit up. He crossed the room in quick strides, and when he opened his arms, Grian thought for sure Zedaph was moving in to hug him like the other two had done.

Grian spread his arms to accept the hug, but when Zedaph and him were standing feet to feet, the blond man’s arms didn’t go around Grian’s waist. 

One hand tangled in his hair while the other slipped around his hip until it could cup his ass. Grian’s lips parted to let out a startled moan— And then there were lips on his, and Zedaph’s warm tongue was pushing into his mouth.

Zedaph wasn’t much taller than Grian himself was, but he was wider, softer. Grian cursed the fact that he’d never spent much time with him before, because as Grian sank into Zedaph’s arms, soft lips moving against his own, he could already tell he’d been missing out.

The sound of Impulse’s voice was what made the two of them break the kiss before they could get too carried away. Before letting him go, Zedaph squeezed Grian’s ass, making another moan leave his lips as a spark of heat made its way through his body.

“So, Grian - what do you say? We help you cross out an achievement or two, and in return… we only ask that you return the favour at some point during the season. How’s that sound?”

Grian was nodding before Impulse had finished speaking. “Yes. Yes, please, that sounds perfect. Any way you’ll have me, I’m down.”

“Ohoho,” Tango laughed hoarsely, turning to send a wicked smile Zedaph’s way. “I think you’re gonna enjoy this one, Zed.” Tango directed his next question Grian’s way. “The two of you have never fucked before, right?”

Grian looked at Zedaph, who was smiling so sweetly at him—

“R-right.”

“Well then,” Impulse said, sounding like he’d made his mind up about something. “Zedaph, you get first pick, first choose, then.”

“Ass, please,” came Zedaph’s immediate reply. Grian squirmed in place. He felt himself throb against the linings of his pants.

“Tango?” Impulse inquired.

“Hm, tough choice. But… I happen to know _just_ how good his mouth is. Grian, are you up for choking on my cock?”

Grian’s knees buckled, and when he replied, his voice sounded breathy. “Gods, _yes.”_

“That’s settled then,” Impulse said, before herding the four of them back towards the ladder that would bring them up to the village and away from the farm. “Tango, you know where to go.”

Tango took the lead as they walked, and Grian was awkwardly shuffling after him, trying not to make the way he was completely hard already too noticeable - though, judging by Zedaph’s pleased-sounding humming behind him, at least he already knew. Tango led them to a windowless building two houses over from where Impulse’s starter house was, and as Tango opened the door before waving Grian inside with a smirk, Grian understood why Impulse had wanted them to go to this specific building.

A few chests lined one wall, and multiple beds were pushed together at the far end of the room. The lack of windows meant that the only lightsource in the room was the lanterns Impulse had hung from the ceiling, casting the room into a warm glow.

“Cozy,” Grian commented, sounding more calm than he was.

Someone pressed up against Grian’s back, and he gasped at the feeling of a hard bulge nudging against his ass. Impulse’s voice sounded against his ear, the breathy tone going straight to Grian’s dick. “I’m glad it’s to your liking.”

Impulse snuck a hand around Grian to rub against the front of his jeans, and Grian moaned, and bucked into the feeling. Through half lidded eyes, he saw Zedaph and Tango undressing as they approached the beds.

Lips touched the shell of Grian’s ear, and Impulse whispered, “I know it’s just the start of the season, but… do you think you can handle two of us at the same time?”

Grian swallowed as he felt his blood rush south, feeling almost dizzy as he swayed in Impulse’s arms. “Yeah, I… just like back at the hippie camp, right?”

Impulse chuckled, and rewarded him with a gentle squeeze through his pants. Grian keened as Impulse said, “Yeah. _Just_ like at the hippie camp.”

Then, Impulse was pulling at Grian’s sweater, and he raised his arms obediently to allow the taller man to pull it off of him. 

The rest of Grian’s clothes were removed from his body in quick succession, and with a light tap to his behind, Impulse ushered him forwards, saying, “Go on, join them on the bed. Zedaph can prep you while I get undressed.”

Grian took stumbling steps until he could kneel on the bed and crawl onto it, up to where Zedaph and Tango were waiting, watching him as he made his way over to the two of them. Grian sat back on his heels, and waited for the two of them to speak.

Zedaph hummed, eyes trailing over Grian’s body. “Did you mean it when you said we could have you in any way we’d like?”

“Yeah,” Grian breathed out. “I’ll use the colour signals if I’m not okay with something.”

“And you’re not in a hurry? We can take our time with you?” Zedaph prompted, eyes lighting up as he leaned towards Grian.

Grian’s breath hitched as the implication of Zedaph’s words washed over him. It made his skin tingle, and he squirmed in place. “Yes. You can.”

Zedaph’s mouth curled up into a wide, wild smile. “In that case… mind spreading out over my lap? Preparation is important, especially this early in the season. I wanna make sure you’ll be loose and open for us.”

Grian took a deep breath, eyes fluttering shut as he nodded. 

He heard the bed shifting as Zedaph, presumably, got into the position he wanted. “All done, love. Now, come over here.”

Grian opened his eyes, and found Zedaph leaning against the headboard of the bed, legs crossed and smiling expectantly at him. Grian moved up the bed until he was kneeling at Zedaph’s side, and with an encouraging nod from Zedaph, Grian swallowed and lowered himself until his ass was in the air, thighs and the lower part of his torso leaning on Zedaph’s legs, and Grian’s arms touched the bed on Zedaph’s other side. Grian let his forehead rest on his forearms, and he exhaled shakily.

Warm hands began trailing over his naked back and thighs, causing goosebumps to rise up wherever the hands had been.

“Tango? Mind grabbing the lube?”

Tango grunted in response, and the bed shifted beneath Grian again as Tango moved, but with a start Grian realised—

“Oh, wait! I have a bottle in my pants’ pockets—”

A loud smack cut Grian’s sentence short - and a moment later his eyes widened as the physical sensation of the slap over his upper thighs caught up to his mind. Grian whined at the sting, and he squirmed in Zedaph’s lap.

“Settle down, love. This room is stocked with everything we could possibly need, so there’s no use for that,” Zedaph explained, fingers turning gentle once more as they trailed over the area he’d spanked, just moments before.

“Zed…” Impulse’s voice rang out, from much closer this time than he’d been before.

“What?” Zedaph defended, “You’re the one who wanted the both of us inside him. You tasked _me_ with getting him relaxed and ready, so please, let me do it.” Then, Zedaph directed his words back to the squirming man in his lap. “Grian? Colour?”

Grian whined, and he noted quietly how his restless movements had shoved his ass further up, into Zedaph’s hands on him. His voice sounded higher than normal when he replied, “G-green.”

“See?” Zedaph said, sounding smug. “He likes it!”

Another strike, across Grian’s ass this time, quickly followed by another. The pain caught up to him quicker this time, his body already on alert from the first slap, and the ache of it went straight to his dick. He felt himself start leaking precome, probably smearing it all over Zedaph’s thighs. He moaned, and bucked his hips back into Zedaph’s hands.

Grian gasped, “H-how many?”

_Smack._

“However many it takes for you to go pliant, love. Colour?”

_Heat._

“Green.”

A pleased hum. “Good.”

Blow after blow landed on Grian’s buttcheeks, and his body was caught in between bucking into and away from the feeling. Sometimes, Zedaph would pause to gently, fleetingly caress Grian’s sore skin, Zedaph’s touch so light and teasing that it’d wake Grian’s nerves back up again, making the tingles and the stinging return tenfold— And then, the spanking would continue.

His ass was so sore. It throbbed and ached in time with his pulse, the pain of it seeping into his arousal and making everything seem warm and hazy.

Then there were teeth on his buttcheek, and a warm tongue lapping at the sore skin. Grian _screamed._ The heat of the muscle was so intense on his sensitive flesh, it felt like pure fire was licking at his behind. Then, the teeth started clamping down on the flesh of his ass, slowly increasing the pressure.

“Oh, please, no, _please—”_

A voice responded to his mindless babbling. It was not Zedaph’s. “Color?”

Grian’s breath hitched, and he scrambled at the bedsheets as his dick released another spurt of precome. _“G-green—”_

The pressure built and built and built. Grian was sure he was being loud, way, way too loud for his own good. The sharp jolts of pain that reverberated from the spot he was being bitten was overriding even the ache from the raw skin around it, and with a choked sound, Grian stopped struggling.

He went boneless, collapsing onto Zedaph’s lap, head hanging limply from his neck as he took shallow breaths. It felt _amazing._ He barely even took notice of it when the teeth unclamped, releasing the abused flesh they had been digging into. Then Zedaph’s voice drifted through the gentle fog that was filling Grian’s head.

“There. I think he’s ready for my fingers, now. How are you feeling, Grian?”

Grian blinked at the sheets. It was hard to figure out how to get his mouth to respond. Steady hands cupped his cheeks, and Grian found his head being lifted up from the bed. After a few moments, the fact that Impulse was in front of him, looking into Grian’s eyes as he held his face off of the bed registered through the daze.

Impulse dragged a thumb over Grian’s lips. Ah, so that’s where his mouth was. Grian licked his lips, “Hi.”

Impulse smiled gently at him. “Hey. Zed wants to know how you’re feeling?”

Grian felt like he was floating. “Good.”

“Okay,” Impulse nodded at him. “He wants to start fingering you, now. Color?”

“Green.”

“Okay. Thank you for telling us.”

Grian moaned, and closed his eyes again, draping his world in darkness, simply taking everything in as best as he could.

Noises that weren’t voices were apparently not quite registering in his mind, because when slick fingers began trailing the cleft of his ass, Grian could not remember hearing the sound of the bottle cap opening.

The feeling was so intense, Zedaph’s fingers so warm over his skin. He moaned, and two fingers dipped inside him. Zedaph didn’t push deep, he merely let his fingers slip in before retreating a few times as Grian shallowly gasped and moaned beneath him.

It didn’t hurt, but the sensitivity of the skin of his entrance made the shallow touches feel overwhelmingly good. A third finger pressed in, and Zedaph proceeded to hook the tips of his fingers inside, just past Grian’s rim, pulling on the muscle and _stretching._

A sob tore out of Grian’s chest before he could even register the sensation properly - it wasn’t painful, but rather—

It was too much. It was not enough. It was so _intense—_ and big, fat tears started rolling down his face, spilling out of the corners of his eyes and over Impulse’s hands that were still holding him still with such gentleness.

Immediately, Impulse’s expression hardened, though Grian didn’t know until a sharp breath escaped the taller man, causing Grian to blink his eyes back open, vision blurry through the tears.

“Does it hurt? Do you need us to stop?”

Grian sobbed again, and the hands on his face tightened a fraction. Grian hiccuped, and replied, “No, no, it just… it’s so _much,_ and i-it. It feels so _good,_ Impulse—”

A fourth finger, and then Zedaph finally, _finally_ let them slip deeper inside Grian, who’s eyes rolled slightly back as he cried out.

Zedaph spread his fingers, before slowly dragging them back out. The friction made Grian’s toes curl, and through his open-mouthed pants, he probably drooled onto Impulse’s hands, further adding to the wet mess that was his face, but Grian didn’t care.

“All good,” Zedaph said. And the fingers didn’t return. Grian hiccuped again, already wanting more of the feeling of Zedaph inside him, the wet, warm slickness of his fingers working him open, teasing and slow. A gentle pat landed on his ass, pulling Grian out of his own head with a twitch that quickly gave way to a whimper when the soft touch made every nerve ending in his seat light up in reminder of the sting from the spanking.

“Okay,” Impulse agreed. “Grian?”

“Green,” came Grian’s immediate reply, answering Impulse’s question before it had even been asked.

Tango laughed hoarsely from beside them on the bed, and Grian’s head twitched towards the sound, gaze landing on the blond man. Tango was laying on his back, propped up by pillows while watching him, and slowly stroking his dick as his eyes burned into Grian’s. “I’ve always enjoyed how eager you are, Gri. I knew you were gonna be a good match with Zed, here.”

Grian’s head swam with Tango’s words, with the sight of him spread out and _watching him._ Grian licked his lips, and Tango laughed again.

“Yeah, exactly like that. I can’t wait to take your mouth… but first, let’s get those two situated, eh?”

“Yeah…” Grian agreed in a whisper.

Impulse let go of Grian’s face, and Tango helped Zedaph move Grian while Impulse laid down near the foot of the bed. Grian’s limbs were shaking quite badly, but with the added support from Zedaph and Tango, he managed to crawl over until he was on his hands and knees above Impulse.

“Chest down, yeah?” Zedaph asked, to which Impulse replied as he stared into Grian’s eyes above him.

“Yeah. We want to make sure Tango’s got… access, don’t we?”

Grian hung his head as another shiver of anticipation and heat coursed through him. Weakly, he nodded.

Then, Impulse reached up to wrap his arms around Grian’s midsection, before pulling him down, chests flush against one another’s. Grian moaned as his dick got trapped between their bellies, but he stilled when he heard Zedaph tutter behind him, shushing him gently as he ran his hand down Grian’s ass in reminder. Then, a blunt, warm weight was pressing against his hole.

Grian sighed, a soft moan escaping with the breath, and Impulse’s breath caught beneath him as the taller man guided himself into Grian. As the dick slipped in, Grian’s body too relaxed and aided by Zedaph’s preparation to offer much resistance, Impulse moaned loudly beneath him. Grian shivered at the deep sound, wanting to hear more of it.

“All good?” Zedaph’s voice said behind him. Grian nodded once more, and then he felt Zedaph’s hands settle more firmly on each of his cheeks, spreading them apart and causing Grian to cry out hoarsely as the sensations his nerves were sending out made it feel like he was being enveloped by warmth. He pressed his face into Impulse’s chest, mouthing at the skin there to try and stifle his voice, to ground him, keeping him from going insane and floating off into his own mind.

Zedaph spoke again. “Mm, so pretty.” _Heat._ “You think you’re ready for me, as well?”

The warmth coursing through his body turned scalding. Grian sobbed with it, trembling in Impulse’s arms.

Zedaph huffed out a laugh behind him. “Heh. I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

The bed shifted as Zedaph shuffled closer, and the Grian felt soft thighs leaning into the backs of his own. Caging him in between the two men. Making the heat inside him get reflected in the outwards state of his body as well. Impulse thrust upwards, once, and Grian choked slightly on his own spit at the feeling of Impulse pressing so _deep_ inside him before receding.

Zedaph lined himself up to the rim of Grian’s hole, already stretched around Impulse’s dick. Grian twitched back against the two of them at the feeling, wanting it, _needing_ it—

“Here I go,” Zedaph breathed out.

Then, he pressed in. And all at once, Grian thought he could feel the sting of it, his body still limp enough to allow Zedaph to slip inside, the head of his dick passing the ring of muscle, but once he’d done so, Grian clenched down on the two of them. _Hard._

“Y-yellow!”

All movements ceased. Grian’s eyes were clamped shut as he focused on breathing. His head was still hazy, and it was hard to think, but—

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Impulse asked him once Grian had caught his breath.

“Do you need me to pull out?” Zedaph added, voice sounding strained with concern.

“N-no,” Grian replied, voice trembling. “I don’t t-think it hurts, but - but I t-tensed up.”

“Okay,” came Tango’s voice from beside the bed. When he’d moved over there, Grian didn’t know. “Do you want to wait it out, or should we move on to something else?”

Grian shook his head, dragging his face over Impulse’s chest as he did so. “I n-need… Zed? C-could you bite me ag-again?”

“Ah, of course - I’d love to. Anything you’d like - tonight is for _you,_ after all.”

The words made Grian feel warm. He hadn’t even realised the chill that had seeped into his bones as he’d frozen up, but the reminder that they were all here, doing this because they wanted to, that they wanted Grian to feel _good…_ It was a fresh breath of air to the embers still simmering in the pit of his stomach.

“Then… please?”

Zedaph hummed, and covered Grian with more warmth as he bent over to lean onto the smaller man more fully, until Zedaph’s mouth reached the crook of Grian’s neck.

A touch so light that Grian could barely tell it was there, Zedaph’s lips so gently trailing over his skin that for a moment, Grian was _sure_ he was imagining it. Then those lips kissed the skin of his neck properly, and a small sound got caught in Grian’s throat. Hands were rubbing at his hips, while others were trailing down his sides. Grian was covered in grounding heat, in loving and reassuring touches, but he was still tensing around the two of them inside him—

Then teeth were trailing over the spit-slick skin Zedaph was working on, not biting down yet, but Grian knew that he could. That he _would._

Darts of tongue and playful nips of his teeth, in between Zedaph pulling the flesh into his mouth and sucking on it, made Grian slowly start to relax between them. The heat was building, slowly but steadily. Grian wanted nothing more but to submit to it, to allow himself to fall apart beneath their hands and dicks and mouths and words.

The teeth started digging into the skin of Grian’s neck. He tensed up once more - again, not from the pain, but from the expectance of it. As the pressure kept building, the painful flashes never came. What instead flooded his body and mind, were the same waves of heat, of pleasure. Grian’s mouth fell open on a soundless scream as the haze took him over, doubling in density as the feelings coursed through him. The skin of his neck felt… tight.

As Grian, after what felt like an eternity spent suspended in time and space, finally relaxed around Impulse and Zedaph, Grian was moaning.

Zedaph did not let go. With a growl that did not match the blond man’s soft exterior, he bit down even harder, before slowly pushing his dick in deeper, not stopping until he was fully inside.

Grian’s eyes were wide open, unseeing. The pleasure was peaking, and the waves of sensation, feeling like heaven, like sin, like guilt, like pure ecstasy— Were flooding through him, lighting up sparks in their path, making everything from his fingertips to the soles of his feet tingle and twitch.

The mouth left his shoulder. The spot where Zedaph had bitten him felt cold, a sharp contrast to how everything else was covered in smothering heat. A groan was pressed against the back of Grian’s neck. “C-colour?”

Grian was mindless, blind to the world. But, with a gasp and a terrible force of effort, he wheezed out, _“Green.”_

Impulse remained still, while Zedaph started thrusting. And if Grian thought his pleasure had peaked before, it was nothing compared to the way he was now being kept, floating helplessly over an endless pit like the void, unable to come down. 

The sounds of the three of them melded together in Grian’s mind, and their limbs became indistinguishable.

A hand, less frantic and somehow even _warmer_ than the ones already on him, touched his cheek. Obediently, Grian turned his head the direction the hand guided him, and through the way his vision was blurring, after a few moments Grian recognised Tango to be the one holding his cheek, softly petting the skin of his face as he appeared to be waiting for Grian to focus.

“Are you still with us, Gri?”

Words were lost to him. But he could still move.

Grian nodded.

Tango was no less blurry, so Grian couldn’t pick out the expression the man was giving him, but the way Tango gave a guttural groan before him made his insides turn liquid, and Grian couldn’t help but angle his face so he could better catch the sound, were it to return. He moaned.

“You still wanna take me?”

With a wet gasp, Grian let his lips part. He held his mouth open, trying desperately to focus on Tango’s eyes, on the warm hand touching his face. He was rewarded with another deep moan from Tango. Grian’s eyelashes fluttered.

“Pinch any one of us if you need to breathe more than I’m letting you, okay?” Grian panted, but Tango wasn’t done. “Show me.”

It took effort to gain control of his hands, no less his _fingers,_ but Grian did manage to pinch the soft skin of the crook of Impulse’s elbow.

Impulse drew in a sharp breath between his teeth, before saying with a strained voice, “He did it.”

Grian looked towards where he thought Tango’s eyes were. The man nodded, the movement big enough for Grian to pick it out. “Good. You’re being so good for us, Grian. Keep that mouth open, nice and wide for me, okay?”

Some drool ran down Grian’s cheek. He was floating, glowing, _burning._

And then Tango kneeled at the edge of the bed, and Zedaph manhandled Grian until he had a bit more room to move, his head and shoulders no longer pressed to Impulse’s chest, but rather poking out from between the two men fucking him at an angle that gave Tango the opportunity to tighten his fingers around Grian’s cheek and jaw - before thrusting his dick past Grian’s lips.

The salty, clean taste and warm weight of Tango’s dick dragged over Grian’s tongue, vaguely registering in his mind as something to pay more attention to than he currently was. Grian ignored the signals, and kept his jaws parted, letting his tongue dart out past his lips to give Tango more friction, more _mouth_ to fuck.

Tango moaned deeply from where he was leaning over Grian, and his hand kept Grian’s head still as he fucked _in._ Grian’s body thrashed at the first press down his throat, but other than the tight feeling in his throat and the way his lungs were blocked from drawing in breaths of air, it was painless. It was just more heat added to the fire.

The dick was pulled out of his throat, and Grian coughed once, twice, drawing in a quick breathful of air— and Tango thrust back inside, _grinding_ into his throat.

Grian was tearing up, and drool and precome was smeared over the lower part of his face from Tango’s rough treatment. Tango took a few shallow thrusts, just barely pulling out of Grian’s throat before shoving right back in, not allowing Grian to take a single breath of air in between. He choked, and the tears that had been gathering in his eyes spilled over, running down his cheeks.

The lack of air made the fog in his mind thicker, but the reflexes of his body made him tense up around Impulse and Zedaph with every spasm in his diaphragm as he choked, and the tight burn of the two of them inside him made it feel like Grian was no longer merely suspended in pleasure above the void - he was now being crushed alive by the force of it.

Whenever Tango let him breathe, Grian’s voice was letting out wheezes in between a constant stream of broken sounds of pleasure, moans and yells and groans and whimpers as the most heavenly torture imaginable was tearing him apart. He _must_ have come, at that point - he _must_ have—

  
  
  


When he came to, it was to soft voices carrying a quiet conversation above him. Grian found that his eyes were already open, and he blinked in tired confusion at the realisation. His body was littered with aches and twinges, and he felt more exhausted than he could remember being in a long time. The warm hand on his hip, and the fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck made him decide to give actual consciousness a try, rather than falling back under, despite how his body felt like it sure could go for a ten hour nap.

“Hey,” he croaked out, wincing at how raw and sore his throat felt. “Haha, ouch.”

“Grian!”

A warm body plopped down beside him, causing Grian to bounce slightly as the mattress shifted beneath him. He giggled hoarsely as Zedaph snuggled up to him.

“That was amazing! I can’t believe we’ve never done that before,” Zedaph giggled as he pressed their foreheads together. Grian smiled, and burrowed into the soft embrace.

“Yeah, me neither. Gods, but you know how to dom,” Grian laughed.

“Yeah, well,” Zedaph said, a teasing smirk donning his lips as he wiggled his eyebrows. The movement tickled against Grian’s own forehead as Zedaph continued, “Someone’s gotta help Impulse calm down every now and again.”

At the mention of his name, Impulse spoke up. “Hey!” Impulse was laughing, too, and it showed that he was in on the joke. “You can flirt later-”

Tango asked, “Is teasing you called flirting, now? Because I’m _down.”_

Impulse ignored the three of them as they delved back into tired giggles, and he kept going like there had been no interruption. “It’s aftercare-time.”

“I don’t know what the two of _you_ are doing,” Zedaph quipped, “But I _am_ aftercaring.” To demonstrate his point, he moved his face until he could nuzzle the skin behind Grian’s ear.

He sighed with content as he tightened his arms around Zedaph. That felt nice.

“No,” Impulse said, sounding playfully exasperated. “We need to talk about the scene, and make sure Grian eats and drinks something.”

“Fine,” Zedaph said, dragging out the syllables of the word while Tango gave a bark of laughter. “But I’m big spooning him while you take care of the boring stuff.”

Grian snorted, but happily complied as Zedaph manhandled him for the second time that day until the two of them were sitting upright, Grian’s back to Zedaph’s chest. Grian blinked and smiled shyly as he found himself face to face with Tango and Impulse, who were seated only a few feet away. Tango waved at him with a lazy movement, and sent a dazzling grin his way.

Tango was sprawled out in a relaxed position, not unlike how he’d been seated when he first laid down on the bed, while Impulse was sitting, cross legged, with an assortment of items laid out beside him.

“So,” Impulse said, bringing Grian’s attention firmly to the brunet. “Any serious aches or pains?”

“No,” Grian said, gaze moving around the dimly lit room as he thought about it. “Only the normal amount. Nothing I’d want to treat with a potion, at least.”

Zedaph hummed behind him, and wrapped his arms around Grian’s waist. Grian smiled absentmindedly, and started playing with the fingers of one of Zedaph’s hands.

“That’s good,” Impulse said. “You still need to eat and drink, but I’ll lay off the potion for now.”

“I could eat,” Grian agreed, but Impulse didn’t hand over the slices of bread Grian had spotted by Impulse’s side. He met Impulse’s eyes once more, wondering what else Impulse wanted them to talk about before allowing them to bask in the afterglow without interruption.

When someone spoke next, it wasn’t Impulse, though. It was Tango.

“Was there anything you didn’t like?”

Grian shot him a startled look. “I - _no?_ Guys, it was perfect—”

“We aren’t asking because we think you didn’t like it,” Zedaph murmured against Grian’s ear. It managed to calm him down a little, despite how his heart had started pounding against his ribcage. Zedaph said, “We’re asking because it’s standard whenever the three of us invite other partners to join us. Because we want to make sure that this was enjoyable and fun for everyone, and if there was anything you didn’t like, we know not to do it in the future, or we learn that we need to communicate better before or after.”

“Oh,” Grian said. That… made sense. It made a _lot_ of sense, actually. “In that case… well, no, there really wasn’t anything I didn’t like. The small subdrop wasn’t any fun, but it had nothing to do with what anyone was doing. And, Zedaph, you helped me out of it just fine.”

Lips pressed to his neck, and Grian let out a breathy moan when he felt his skin ache and throb in response. Evidently, Zedaph had kissed the same spot he’d bitten, earlier. “I’m glad I could help,” Zedaph responded, the words spoken softly against Grian’s neck.

Grian smiled, before returning to the topic at hand. He looked at Impulse. “And you? Anything you didn’t like?”

Impulse blinked, before smiling back at him. “I only really minded not being able to contribute much, at the end, there. The rest was good.”

“Yeah,” Tango shot in beside him. “I didn’t expect Zed to be _that_ dominant today, but I sure didn’t mind. It was hot as hell.”

“Hot twinks that enjoy being hurt bring out the best in me,” Zedaph said in a sing-song voice, causing the conversation to derailed into giggles once again, the sound of laughter filling the room. Grian was encased in it, and he felt warm and safe.

Once the room was quiet once more, Impulse continued. “Zedaph?”

“I loved it, no bad’s for me today.”

“Fine, fine,” Impulse said with a shake of his head. Then, “Grian?” Grian looked back up at Impulse, drawing his gaze from where it had been resting on where Zedaph’s fingers were entwined with Grian’s own. Impulse continued, “Was there anything you liked especially much that you wanna point out?”

“Oh!” Grian felt his face light up, “Well, yeah! The way Zedaph basically forced me into subspace to prepare me for the DP? That was incredible. The spanking, and the biting? I _really_ liked that.”

Zedaph gave Grian a squeeze. He continued, “And the double penetration, and the manhandling? And… oh, gods, Tango, when you finally fucked my mouth? That was—”

“Grian!” Tango laughed, interrupting Grian’s rambling. “You’re just listing up everything we did at this point!”

Grian laughed, too. “Well, yeah! I loved it! Okay, now you go.”

“My favorite parts,” Tango said, smiling widely as he looked up at the ceiling, appearing to give it thorough consideration. “Oh, yeah, how dominant Zed was. Duh! Also, yes, the facefucking. God, but you know how to take a dick.”

Grian’s face flushed as a happy smile made his cheeks feel tight.

_“Three_ dicks, actually,” Impulse joked, before his expression turned considering as he thought of his own answer. “And the best part for me… hm, I really loved being able to look at your face while Zedaph worked you open.”

Grian felt a twinge of heat spring through his stomach at Impulse’s words, but he was still too tired for it to become more than that. It was enough to make him squirm happily in Zedaph’s lap, though.

Tango hummed in agreement. “Oh, you’re right, ‘Pulsie, he’s quite expressive, isn’t he?”

“So pretty,” Zedaph agreed, rubbing his cheek against Grian’s hair.

“Guys!” Grian protested, feeling flustered, even as he was smiling. “I’m already fucked out - you have to give me at _least_ an hour if you want me to be able to go again.”

At once, Zedaph’s arms tightened around him in a way that made Grian’s breath catch, and the blond growled against his ear, breath hot against Grian’s skin—

“I bet I could get you to come again before that.”

A shaky moan left Grian’s lips as he sank back into Zedaph’s frame.

“...but let’s not find out today.”

And at once, the tight feeling in Grian’s stomach, the moment of leftover heat that had sparked between them, enough to fill the room with tension, broke. Grian exhaled, and his exhaustion suddenly felt like it caught up to him.

“You’re right,” Impulse agreed easily, and Grian looked at him to find the taller man having gotten up on his knees, and Impulse was now picking up the bottle of water and the cloth holding the bread. “Now, you’re gonna eat and have some water. And we’re gonna cuddle and relax.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tango agreed, already making his way over until he could snuggle into Zedaph and Grian’s side.

“Yeah,” Zedaph said. Grian sunk into the warm bodies surrounding him, and a slice of bread was pressed into his hand by Impulse.

  
He’d just started eating, but almost choked on his mouthful when Zedaph whispered against his ear, “We’ll find out _next_ time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: All the Time - Jeremih


	4. The minute we feel the heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Stone hoe] Have sex with 5 different hermits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Ren!

~ * ~

Grian woke up surrounded by warmth. He couldn’t help but snuggle further into it, even if only for a short while, as he turned around until Zedaph was no longer spooning him. Zedaph mumbled sleepily, but he settled with a content hum once Grian wrapped his arms around the blond, revelling in the softness of his skin and how his chest made for the perfect pillow.

After eating and drinking some water, earlier in the day, the four of them had fallen into an uncoordinated mess of limbs and bodies on the bed, settling in to nap.

It had been… nice. Incredible, even. Grian felt happy and safe, but… he still had plans for the day, and it didn’t feel like he’d been asleep for so long that the day would be over for a good long while.

“Guys?” Grian whispered, not knowing how awake the three men around him were.

A tired grumble from Tango came from beside him on the bed, and Grian turned his head to face the man.

“Mornin’, Gri,” Tango sleepily replied, a yawn breaking out on his face and causing Grian to smile.

“Hi. I just wanted to thank you all again for this - I had a lot of fun.”

Tango returned the smile. “I’m glad. We did, too. And like Zed said, we’re hoping for you to join us in the future as well, if you’re interested?”

“Oh definitely,” came Grian’s immediate reply. Tango chuckled.

“So eager… I really like that about you, you know.”

Grian’s cheeks grew hot. “I know.”

Tango’s smile grew lazy as his eyes became half-lidded. “Do you need to head out?”

Grian sighed. “Yeah… unfortunately, I do. I’ve still got plans for the day.”

“Okay,” Tango rumbled. “Anytime you want to join us, just say the word, okay? And… don’t forget your part of the deal,” Tango winked at him.

“I won’t,” Grian giggled, trying to keep his voice down enough to not disturb Zedaph and Impulse, who were still dozing. “And the same goes for you, yeah? If you want me to come over, just text.”

And with that, Grian sighed once more before untangling himself from Zedaph as gently as he could. Grian crawled over Impulse’s legs before making his way off of the bed. His clothes were where him and Impulse had left them, and Grian silently dressed himself. Tango’s eyes were burning into his back, and it made Grian squirm in place. No doubt his ass was still red from the spanking - and belatedly, Grian released a shaking breath as he remembered the bite mark that had probably already bloomed into a dark bruise on one of his cheeks.

He walked over to the door, and paused to throw a look over his shoulder to the three men sprawled out on the bed. “Again, thank you. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tango replied, voice hoarse as sleep was tugging at him once more. “Have fun, Gri.”

As Tango finally collapsed back into the cuddle pile that was his boyfriends, Grian left the building. He blinked against the bright sunlight, and decided to check his communicator before heading to his boat.

_Grian has made the achievement [Advanced positioning]_

Grian found himself smirking at the screen at the amount of ‘gg’s and a very exasperated ‘WHAT’ from Doc. Heh. Take that, goat man.

Then, Grian was thinking. He wanted to keep the momentum going, and since it was still only around midday, he’d have a good chance of crossing off even more achievements today if he really wanted to. His communicator pinged in his hands, drawing his attention back to the device. It was a private message.

_ <Renthedog> hey G! :D _

_ <Renthedog> i see you’re busy working on those achievements, huh? ;) _

Grian smiled, before typing his reply.

_ <Grian> hi ren! yeah i am, lol _

_ <Renthedog> and i also happened to see that you’re nearby, if you know what i’m SAYIN :D _

Grian started walking to his boat as he was typing back.

_ <Grian> ohoho, you want to help a fellow out? ;D _

_ <Renthedog> you know that i do ;) _

_ <Renthedog> loser island is waiting for you! _

Grian stepped into the boat and typed out a final message before pocketing the communicator, and he started rowing towards where Ren’s island was.

_ <Grian> i’ll be right there ;) _

Grian was still quite tired and sore, but something told him that Ren wouldn’t mind - in fact, judging by the fact that Ren had brought up Grian’s latest achievement in the invitation, the man was probably counting on it. The thought made Grian run hot, and sweat started beading on his neck and the small of his back as he pulled on the oars, his shirt clinging to his back. Gods, but his ass hated the wooden seat of the boat at that moment.

Soon enough, the infamous Loser Island could be seen in the distance, and though Grian’s arms were trembling with leftover exhaustion, he managed to keep up the speed at which he’d been going ever since he left Impulse’s base. Finally, the hull of the boat scraped against the sand that led up to the beach of the island, and Grian let go of the oares with a relieved sigh.

He shook his arms out, and took a few steps onto the sand, the pale grains crunching beneath his boots. Grian hadn’t bothered to put his armour back on for the trip over - he hadn’t been stopping, so the chance that a drowned with a trident would manage to hit him had been slim to none.

Now, he was very happy about that fact - the island was almost as hot as the jungle, only less humid, and without the coverage of the canopy above to shelter him from the harsh rays of the sun.

“Grian, my friend, there you are!”

Grian’s head turned towards the house Ren had built to serve as his starter base, and there, at the entrance, was Ren himself. Grian had to squint against the brightness, but he was able to pick out the brunet’s happy expression and open arms. Grian waved and smiled, before making his way over.

Stepping into the shade of the building had been heavenly, and when Ren immediately pulled Grian into a hug, it became even better.

Grian laughed as Ren lifted him off of his feet before spinning him around. “Nice to see you, Ren!”

“Likewise, dude!” Ren let Grian down onto his own feet once more, and with one arm still wrapped around Grian’s shoulder, he turned them towards the base. “Come on, man, let’s head inside. It’s way too hot out there for us to stay in the sun.”

Grian tilted his head, and caught sight of Ren’s sunburnt face, and he giggled as he said, “You speak from experience, I can see?”

“Oh yes,” Ren immediately replied, nodding seriously as the two of them headed inside. “The sun is vicious, my dude. Almost burnt me to a crisp on my very first day here!”

The two of them kept small talking and joking around about their respective starts for the new season as Ren led Grian towards the ladders leading up to the bedroom. Once Grian’s head poked past the wood of the next floor, allowing him to see the many windows making up the majority of the walls of the bedroom, he gasped.

“Oh, Ren! This is gorgeous! Look at that _view,”_ he gushed as he made his way off the ladder and properly into the bedroom. The stained glass of the wall-to-wall windows provided enough shade that Grian had no problem gazing out across the sea, taking in the way the sunlight was dancing upon the waves, and the way the mild breeze was rustling the leaves of the sparse trees growing on the no-longer deserted island.

“I’m glad you like it! It took a lot of trial and error to get it to a point where the sun wouldn’t be too much of a problem, while still keeping those pesky phantoms out,” Ren explained as he followed up the ladder and joined Grian in the room.

Grian was still admiring the view when Ren stepped up to him, pressing his chest to Grian’s back and arms wrapping loosely around him in a familiar embrace. Grian sighed and leaned his weight back onto the other man.

“As you probably saw this morning, I am quite sore, still,” Grian murmured out, before breaking his gaze from the ocean to look up at Ren over his own shoulder. “Not that I _mind,_ but- yeah. Fair warning.”

Ren hummed, and nuzzled his cheek against Grian’s hair. “I know, dude. These challenges are so much fun, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Grian agreed, smile pulling at his lips. “Are you competing?”

“Nah,” Ren said. Grian was surprised, until Ren explained, “I’m more than happy just watching the chaos spread around the server. And, of course, helping out wherever I can. You know I love easily, dude.”

Grian chuckled, and pressed a kiss to Ren’s bicep, the taller man’s arms still wrapped around him. “I know. And I love that about you, Ren, I really do.”

“Aw, I love you too, dude!”

The two of them stood like that for a while, Ren’s arms around Grian and the two of them swaying slightly as they basked in each other’s presence, gazing out at the calm ocean shimmering in the sun.

When Grian had had enough of standing, he turned around in Ren’s arms to face the other man.

Ren kept his arms around Grian, and looked down at him with a wide smile. “Hi there!”

Grian returned the smile with a grin of his own, before stretching up on the tip of his toes to press a quick kiss to the corner of Ren’s mouth. Ren hummed pleasedly at the action, and he let one hand caress down Grian’s back until it could rest on the swell of his ass.

Grian wriggled back to meet the touch, moaning softly as his bruised skin throbbed in response to the hand on him. Ren giggled. Grian said, “So, taking my day so far into consideration… what did you have in mind?”

“Grian, my dude - whatever you feel up to!”

“Well… I’m up for pretty much anything, but maybe we could take it slow?”

Ren’s expression softened, and he leaned in to press a kiss to the top of Grian’s head. His breath ticked as it brushed over Grian’s hair, causing the strands to move. “How about I help you relax then, ey? Just some nice fingering, and maybe we suck eachother off, how’s that sound?”

Grian moaned quietly, and rocked his hips forward, against Ren’s bulge. “That sounds perfect, really. Only, maybe you could ride me, as well?”

“Ooh!” Ren exclaimed, “You up for topping, for once? That’s a rare treat! I’d love to, dude,” Ren said, before tightening his arms around Grian and huddle-walking the two of them away from the window and towards the bed. Grian giggled as they awkwardly made their way over - it was so unnecessary, but so _Ren._

The back of Grian’s knees hit the bed, and as he stumbled backwards, Ren followed him down eagerly. Grian’s back hit the mattress as he let out a soft “Oof,” as his breath got forced from his lungs at the impact, and the two of them laughed as Ren rolled off of Grian to cuddle up against his side.

“Mmh,” Ren rumbled out, sounding pleased at the comfortable position. “Mind getting your pants off for me?”

Grian chuckled. “Only if you do the same.”

“Why, of course!”

The two of them wriggled out of their respective trousers, shoes being kicked off of the side of the bed before the garments followed suit - but not before Grian had remembered to grab the lube out of his pockets, the way he hadn’t when he’d been with Impulse, Tango and Zedaph earlier in the day.

“Prepared like a boy scout! I like it,” Ren complimented with a grin when Grian waved the bottle triumphantly in the air before throwing his pants to the floor. Then, Ren placed a hand on Grian’s shoulder, and Grian followed the direction the hand was guiding him with a smile on his face, wondering what Ren was planning.

The hand on his shoulder pressed Grian to lay flat on the bed, and Ren gave him a squeeze, wordlessly telling him to stay in place. Grian cocked an eyebrow, but he humoured Ren’s antics nonetheless. He wasn’t disappointed.

Ren got up onto his hands and knees beside him, before turning around and straddling Grian in the new position. “Oh,” Grian giggled once he was face to face with Ren’s dick, and Ren much the same with Grian’s. “I see where you’re going with this.”

“Yeah?” Ren said. Grian could hear the smile in his voice as the taller man spoke. “Any objections?”

“None at all,” Grian replied, raising his hands to place them on either of Ren’s cheeks, spreading him open before massaging his ass, one hand still closed around the bottle of lube. Ren let out a giggling moan at Grian’s ministrations.

“That tickles, dude!”

Grian snorted. “You’ll live, I’m sure.”

He unhanded Ren in favour of working the bottle cap open, almost spilling some of the liquid as he did when suddenly, there was wet heat surrounding the head of his dick. “Ren!” Grian cried out, hips attempting to buck but quickly being restrained by the brunet’s forearms leaning onto Grian’s thighs, hands spreading them gently before pressing him down to the bed.

The mouth left him, and Grian could breathe properly, almost choking on a giggle when Ren audibly smacked his lips, before saying, “What?”

“At least let me pass you the lube first. I might still be somewhat open from earlier, but that doesn’t mean my ass will appreciate you going in dry. I’m already sore,” Grian complained, only half-serious.

“Yeah yeah, hand it over!”

Grian was still laughing when he poured a generous amount of lube onto his own fingers, before handing Ren the bottle. Grian left Ren’s dick alone for now, and focused on spreading the lube out before he returned one hand to the cheek of Ren’s ass to spread him. Ren twitched again, and Grian hummed, before he started caressing the rim of Ren’s hole with his slicked up fingers.

Ren’s breath caught on a moan, hips stuttering, and that’s when Grian strained his neck upwards to take the head of Ren’s dick into his mouth. He wrapped his lips around the shaft, not going too deep just yet, and gently sucked as he slowly lowered his head back down to the bed. As he’d predicted, Ren followed his movements, moaning as he sought to stay within the gentle suction Grian was applying.

Once the back of Grian’s head was resting against the mattress once more, he gently tugged at Ren’s ass, giving the taller man permission to move if he so chose to.

Ren slowly pushed his dick just a tiny bit deeper, and Grian hummed as he let his tongue play with the man’s foreskin. All the while, his fingers kept stroking over the soft skin of Ren’s hole, spreading the lube around. Then, he dipped two fingers in, shallowly at first. When Ren’s only response was to once again take Grian into his own mouth, Grian moaned, the sound coming out muffled and slightly gurgly around Ren’s dick.

Grian pressed his fingers in, slowly but steadily, until he’d bottomed out and his knuckles pressed against Ren’s skin. A shiver worked its way down the brunet’s body, and another moan reverberated around Grian’s dick, making him pant at the gentle vibrations.

He curled his fingers before dragging them back out, stopping about halfway - and the effect on Ren was immediate. The other man’s hips _snapped_ forward, and Grian’s eyes squeezed shut as his eyes immediately started tearing up, the head of Ren’s dick having forced its way down Grian’s throat. He felt the muscles of his throat constrict, trying to force the intrusion _out_ \- but Ren had the leverage, here. And he _knew_ what Grian enjoyed.

Grian’s eyes shot wide open when two - no, _three_ fingers pressed inside him, working his sore muscles back open and reawakening the slight sting from earlier.

Ren slowly pulled his dick out of Grian’s throat with a deep groan, slipping out of his mouth completely as Grian sputtered and coughed in between breathy giggles. “You _bastard—”_

“Aw, come _on,_ G, you know I couldn’t help myself,” Ren laughed. Grian took notice of the strain in his voice, evident even through the chuckles.

Grian took a few calming breaths, metaphorically waving Ren’s words away. “Yeah, yeah. Now get your dick back in my mouth, please.”

Ren’s laughter faded into gentle chuckles as he complied, once again lowering his hips so Grian could wrap his lips around Ren’s erection. He used the hand that was still holdin onto Ren’s buttcheek to encourage him to rock into Grian’s mouth at a relaxed, shallow pace. Ren moaned appreciatively, before busying himself with taking Grian’s dick into his own mouth.

It was Grian’s turn to moan around Ren, the sound dragging on and growing louder when Ren began to spread his fingers, flexing them apart and seeming to test how relaxed Grian truly was before moving too much.

Belatedly, Grian remembered to return the favour - he’d been too distracted by the drag of Ren’s dick over his tongue, the movements and feel of him addictive— as well as the warm, wet suction around his own dick, and the fingers stretching him open. Grian started thrusting his fingers inside Ren once more, keeping the tips of his fingers crooked as he made sure to trail over Ren’s prostate with every stroke.

A spurt of precome hit the back of his tongue, and Grian swallowed around it, his body felt like it was slowly melting from the gentle waves of heat washing through him. Grian added another finger, sliding three of them past Ren’s entrance and making Ren thrust into his mouth even deeper, just once.

Then, Ren returned the favour. Four fingers were now spreading Grian open - and Grian almost choked again. Ren’s hands were much bigger than Zedaph’s had been, and his fingers were wider, longer. And Grian might still be stretched out from earlier, but the slight burn of the stretch was still prominent, and a welcome feeling that reawakened the sore feeling from before.

Grian mumbled, clumsily around Ren’s dick, “Cheeky.” The word was only halfway understandable, the sound muffled and slurring, but Ren seemed to understand him either way.

Ren pulled off of Grian’s dick to laugh, before he swallowed him back down - all the way to the base.

Grian _yelled,_ body going rigid beneath the taller man for a moment - and then Ren backed off, just enough to no longer be _working_ Grian’s dick with his throat, and Grian’s body went slack once more. He panted around his mouthful, and felt himself leak precome into Ren’s mouth.

He started massaging Ren’s prostate _meanly_ in retaliation, only letting off on the pressure against the sensitive spot to spread his fingers and drag them against the soft skin of Ren’s insides to work him open. Then, he’d return to working his fingers in small, hard circles against the bundle of nerves that made Ren leak up a storm on Grian’s tongue.

Both of them were making noises now, a constant stream of groans and muffled moans and choked off sounds escaping them as they slowly rutted against one another on the bed.

When Ren started working his thumb inside Grian along with his other fingers, Grian’s vision whited out at the intense stretch. He quickly turned his head to the side, letting Ren’s dick slip from his mouth as he panted out, _“R-Ren!_ Gods, that—”

Ren’s mouth pulled away from Grian’s dick, fingers still working Grian open. “What?” He said, voice sounding strained and breathless. “It’s not like you can’t take it, dude—”

Grian screamed as the stretch became _so intense—_

Somehow, he managed to wail out, “You’re gonna make me _come,_ dude—”

And the fingers pulled out, leaving him empty and clenching around nothing. Grian went completely boneless on the bed, breathing heavily and staring off to the side, mind not yet caught up to what his senses were telling him.

“You good?”

Grian blinked, still drawing in quick breaths and listening to his own blood pounding against his eardrums. That had been… way too close, the orgasm so near that Grian swore he could still feel the beginnings of it prickling against the palms of his hands and soles of his feet.

“That was… yeah. Gods, just… give me a moment. Holy shit, Ren.”

Ren crawled off of him before turning around on the bed, facing Grian once more before straddling his hips. A warm hand touched Grian’s cheek before gently turning his face from where Grian had been blindly facing off to the side, making their eyes meet.

Ren’s deep blue eyes were warm. Kind. Grian could _see_ the affection in them, and when Ren smiled at him, Grian couldn’t help but return it.

“Too much?” Ren asked, voice soft.

“Yeah,” Grian muttered, still smiling. “At least for today. I already got DP’d _and_ spanked today. Also, Zedaph might have bitten my ass. So. Yeah. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, dude! _I’m_ the sorry one for pushing it!”

“No worries,” Grian said, tilting his face until he could press a reassuring kiss to Ren’s palm. “Just… can you ride me, now? My ass desperately needs a break, so - if you’re still up for it?”

Ren’s smile widened, and his eyes glinted with love and heat as he replied, “It’s gonna be my pleasure, G-man. Gonna take care of everything, now, okay? Just relax.”

Grian felt the effects of Ren’s words wash over him, his muscles slowly untensing from where he hadn’t even realised he’d been stiffening up. As he relaxed fully, body melting into the mattress, he sighed, “Yeah… yeah.”

Ren let his thumb caress Grian’s cheek before slowly dragging his hand down, trailing over Grian’s jaw, throat, palm sliding down his chest and over his navel, past his happy trail, until those warm fingers could wrap around the base of Grian’s dick.

Grian sighed again at the touch, and then Ren sat up on his knees, positioning himself over Grian’s dick before sinking down slowly, taking Grian in all the way and surrounding him in warm, slick heat. Grian moaned, and when Ren bottomed out, hands returning to Grian’s chest to steady himself, the taller man let out a moan, too.

They stayed like that for a little while, Grian panting and Ren slowly squeezing around him, muscles tightening and relaxing as he got used to the feeling.

“You can move whenever you like,” Grian said, eyelashes fluttering as the warm feeling enveloped him, spreading from his dick and where Ren’s palms were pressing down on him.

Ren hummed in response. When the taller man started moving, he didn’t raise himself back up like Grian might have done, were he in Ren’s position - instead, Ren lowered his torso towards Grian’s, before working his hips in small circles, _grinding_ down on Grian’s dick and keeping him almost fully inside the entire time.

Grian _keened_ and raised his arms to wrap them around Ren’s neck, one hand tightening in the loose ponytail resting on the back of Ren’s head. When he tugged at the strands, Ren moaned deeply, movements speeding up.

The heat and gentle kind of friction felt _amazing._ Grian was already close from before, and with every movement Ren made above him, it pressed Grian’s lower body further into the bed, causing his bruises and aching skin to send out jolts of pain, sparks of sensation adding to the building heat inside him.

Ren was making small noises as he sought out his own pleasure, and when Grian got the brilliant idea of removing one hand from Ren’s neck to let his fingers wrap around Ren’s dick, it only took a few moments until Ren was coming in his hand, a drawn-out moan escaping the taller man’s lips.

Grian could only take the sight of him in. He was _beautiful_ like this - always had been.

Ren batted Grian’s hand away from his dick once it started going soft against his palm, the stimulation probably beginning to near the edge of painful. They sat like that for a moment, Ren breathing deeply and Grian panting, aroused and exhausted, but willing to wait for Ren to catch his breath. He had no doubt that Ren would stay true to his words - that he’d take care of Grian before long.

When Ren’s eyes opened and once more met Grian’s own, Grian’s breath caught in his throat. The look in Ren’s eyes was filled with love, warmth, gratitude - and a promise.

He swallowed, the sound of it audible in the now quiet room.

Then, Ren _squeezed_ his muscles around him, tightening up around Grian’s dick. And apparently, that was all it took for Grian to join him—

With a small sound, the noises caught in his chest, Grian came. The feeling draped over him before seeping into his muscles, tensing up before leaving him spent and loose-limbed, spread out beneath Ren on the bed. The aftershocks kept dragging on as Ren kept Grian inside, periodically tightening around him as Grian came inside him.

By the time Grian’s head was no longer spinning and he met Ren’s eyes, the taller man had thankfully stopped moving. Ren was already watching him, and with a quirked eyebrow, he wordlessly asked Grian if he was good to move. Grian nodded, and Ren slowly sat up. Grian’s dick slipped out, and Ren moaned softly before flopping down on the bed next to Grian, promptly cuddling up to his side once more.

Grian’s only complaint was, “Shouldn’t we wash off?”

He doubted he’d be able to make his way down the ladder, but it still felt like the right thing to ask. He snorted when Ren’s only reply was, “No,” followed by, “You will stay in this bed until I’ve had my fill of cuddles, even if I need to strap you down to it.”

Grian giggled helplessly, but he wrapped his own arms around Ren nonetheless, before throwing one leg over the taller man’s thighs for good measure. “That’s fine with me. Just don’t complain when your bed is all gross and sticky by the time I leave, okay?”

_“I’m_ gross and sticky. It’s all good, man,” Ren mumbled. Grian could tell he was getting sleepy.

“I guess I can stay for a few hours, before I head back to the jungle,” Grian mused, teasing, before delving into soft giggles when Ren’s nose pressed against Grian’s throat. “That tickles.”

“Y’smell so good,” Ren said, words slurring together as he drew closer to unconsciousness. “L’ve the smell… of sex on’ya.”

“Pff,” Grian huffed out, a wide smile on his face. “Go to sleep, Ren, you silly man. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

“Y’u bet-better…”

As the early afternoon sun filtered in through the wide windows of the bedroom, the two men drifted off as the sound of waves lulled them to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: m'Lover - Kishi Bashi


	5. I want you to know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You've got stamina] Fuck 5 different hermits in a single day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mumbo is here!

~ * ~

Grian had woken up when Ren kicked him in his sleep, causing Grian to stumble to the ground. The impact with the floor had led to a startled return to consciousness, but once Grian had woken Ren up by shoving him off the other side, the two of them had laughed it off before exchanging hugs as Grian had went to wash off in the sea before climbing back into the boat.

Ren waved at him lazily from the window of the top floor, and Grian smiled as he felt his heart swell with affection for the man as he waved back. Ren turned his back to the window and walked off, presumably to return to his bed, and Grian took the chance to check his communicator.

Sure enough, another achievement had popped up in the chat.

_Grian has made the achievement [Stone hoe]_

He grinned to himself as he read through the responses.

_ <Docm77> HOW _

_ <BdoubleO100> ha!! he’s gonna catch up to you in no time _

_ <Docm77> shut up, lawn fiend! _

_ <Xisuma> lol! gg, grian _

_ <TangoTek> lmao, gg _

_ <iskall85> whore ;) _

_ <iskall85> i like that in a man :D _

_ <BdoubleO100> ... you like whores in a man? _

_ <iskall85> OMEGALUL _

_ <iskall85> not what i meant but that works! :’D _

_ <ImpulseSV> Don’t overwork yourself, Grian! :) _

_ <Zedaph> my man! _

Grian was giggling as he read along, until he came to the last message.

_ <MumboJumbo> Nice one, Grian! _

_ <MumboJumbo> I see that you’re busy, but if you ever want to have dinner together and catch up, just let me know! I’ve missed you, dude _

His smile softened as he read Mumbo’s message. Grian knew that Mumbo would also be settling down in the same jungle Grian was currently building in, and he wondered if maybe Mumbo would let Grian take him up on his offer immediately. It still wasn’t too late, and with a jolt of excitement despite how he could feel exhaustion from the day’s activities settling deep into his bones, Grian realised he could get yet _another_ achievement today, if Mumbo was willing. 

He opened a private chat, and started typing.

_ <Grian> mumbo jumbolio! _

_ <Grian> i saw ur invitation in the chat :D _

_ <Mumbojumbo> Oh! _

_ <Mumbojumbo> I hope I'm not disturbing you then? I didn’t know when would be a good time _

Grian shook his head exasperatedly down at the screen, thumbs already typing out his reply.

_ <Grian> i'm never too busy for you, mumbo! _

Grian smirked when Mumbo's next message revealed that Grian's casual flirting still had an effect on him, despite how often Grian had done it in the last world.

_ <Mumbojumbo> OH _

_ <Mumbojumbo> Well, I _

_ <Mumbojumbo> Oh my goodness _

_ <Mumbojumbo> Well, as I said, I wanted to know if you'd like to come visit? I’m making dinner _

Grian smiled, and replied.

_ <Grian> it's been too long since we’ve seen each other, hasn't it? _

_ <Grian> i'll be right over. send the coords, will you? :D _

Without waiting for Mumbo to finish typing in his answer, Grian started rowing back towards the jungle, passing the mooshroom island that would soon turn into this world’s shopping district. As the sun was slowly dropping in the sky, nearing the edge of the water behind him, Grian stopped rowing to check his communicator one last time, and he saw that the coordinates were waiting for him. With a hum, Grian adjusted his course, and made his way towards where his oldest friend and a hearty meal was waiting for him.

When he finally arrived at Mumbo's base, the sunset was colouring the sky with shades of pinks and oranges. Grian was in good spirits when he knocked on Mumbo's front door, which he noted with a silent laugh, was located on a hobbit themed base, just like Grian's. Seemed like there had been more hermits with the same idea as him, this season.

The door swung open, and Mumbo greeted him with a smile.

"Grian! My friend, come in, come in."

He smiled up at Mumbo when he walked past the taller man's outstretched arm, allowing him entrance to the base. "Why thank you! It's good to see you again, Mumbo."

"Oh," Mumbo's face broke out into an excited grin. "Same to you, Grian. The season so far hasn't been the same without you as my neighbour. I'm glad you finally made it."

The two of them walked further into Mumbo's base, but Grian paid the interior no attention as he pivoted on his feet until he could jokingly swing his arms around Mumbo's neck, effectively hanging off of the taller man.

"Aww, you missed me!"

Mumbo was sputtering, a startled laugh leaving him as he returned Grian's embrace, swinging the two of them around for a moment. "Of course I did."

Grian stepped out of the embrace with a tired but easygoing smile. "I missed you too, you big spoon."

Mumbo's cheeks got dusted with pink, and his hands were restless as he started shifting his weight. "Ah, are- are you hungry? I made food," Mumbo said, stammering slightly.

Grian's smile turned into a playful grin. "I see what you're doing, Mumbo Jumbolio... but yes, I _am_ hungry. I'll make sure to show you just how much I've missed you after we've had dinner, then."

Mumbo's sputtering was barely audible over the sound of Grian's laughter echoing through the base.

They settled into a familiar and comfortable pace, a testament of how often the two of them had shared meals and conversations with each other in the past. They’d been friends even before Grian had joined the hermits, and their friendship was stronger than ever before.

Mumbo carried out the food while Grian set the table, the conversation flowing freely between the two of them.

“Say, are you taking part in the challenges with the achievements, Mumbo?” Grian asked when Mumbo pulled his chair out for Grian to take a seat, ever the gentleman.

Mumbo sputtered a bit before walking around the table and sitting down. “I— Yeah, I am, actually. I’m rather surprised that you’ve already heard of them, dude. I’ve seen you get achievements left right and centre, but I didn’t know you’d already been challenged by someone. What happened?”

“Well,” Grian grinned as he started piling his plate with baked potatoes and roasted pork. “I kind of met Doc and Bdubs when I first joined the world, when I was on my way to my hobbit hole.”

“Oh!” Mumbo exclaimed, before laughing. “I would ask if you saw something you shouldn’t have, but I did just so happen to notice that of the achievements you’ve gotten already, the peeping tom-ones are _not_ amongst them.”

Grian giggled at that, and he passed the potatoes over to Mumbo. “Yeah, I kind of hung out with Scar last night. It was fun! He’s really close to us this season, did you know?”

Mumbo’s cheeks were flushed a pleasant pink. Grian found it endearing that despite how Mumbo had admitted that he was taking a part of the challenges, as well as the fact that he’d agreed to the adding of the achievements in the first place, that he was still embarrassed when talking about anything even vaguely suggestive.

“I know. He’s visited me, too.”

“Oooh, mister Mumbo!” Grian teased, and he giggled again when Mumbo’s cheeks darkened even more.

“Oh, shut up,” Mumbo laughed with him, before picking up his knife and fork. “Who did you see this morning? If I can ask, of course.”

“Mumbo, you know there’s no secrets between us,” Grian chuckled, sending Mumbo a warm smile over the table. “Impulse helped me out with showing me a farm design, and Tango was there. Then, they invited Zedaph over.”

“Oh!” Mumbo said, his voice excited as his eyes lit up. “You’ve been wanting to get with him for quite some time, haven’t you? How was it?”

“It was… amazing,” Grian smiled, eyes glazing slightly over as he remembered that morning’s activities. He shook his head when Mumbo started laughing at him, and Grian quickly continued, “And on my way home, Ren messaged me, so I gave him a visit as well. That was really nice, too.”

“I’m sure,” Mumbo said, laughter still evident in his tone.

The two of them started eating, the conversation moving on to more neutral topics, about their builds and plans, as well as what shops they were thinking of opening at the new shopping district.

They finished their meal, and Mumbo insisted on doing the dishes despite him having made the food, so Grian decided to be an annoyance. He just couldn’t help it - he felt so safe with Mumbo that his most feral and teasing side always came out around the taller man.

“So,” Grian said in a sing-song tone of voice, feet moving in a bouncy pattern as he made his way over to where Mumbo’s back was turned to him, facing the cauldron where he was busy cleaning up the plates and cutlery.

“Yes, Grian?”

Grian smirked, and placed one hand on Mumbo’s lower back the moment he was close enough to do so. “I believe I promised to show you how much I missed you?” Mumbo’s back tensed up beneath Grian’s hand, and he hurriedly added, “If you’re up for it, of course.”

“I,” Mumbo swallowed, and turned his neck so he could shoot Grian a look over his shoulder. “Could I finish doing the dishes first?”

Grian playfully started tapping his chin with one finger, pretending to consider it. “Hm… no. But you’re a smart guy - I’m sure that big brain of yours can handle some multitasking, right?”

“What?”

Grian didn’t reply. Instead, he let his hand drag around Mumbo’s midsection before letting the rest of his body follow the movement, and Grian wriggled himself in between Mumbo and the cauldron before sinking to his knees, hands resting on Mumbo’s hips.

Grian licked his lips, and met Mumbo’s wide eyes. Grian said, voice soft, “Is this okay?”

“Goodness, I— _Yes.”_

Grian smiled up at his friend before patting his hip. “Good. Then by all means, don’t let me keep you from your chores.”

With that, Grian’s hands started working on pulling Mumbo’s pants down.

As soon as the garment was bunched up around Mumbo’s knees, Grian made quick work of Mumbo’s underwear, the white boxers soon joining the pants around the taller man’s knees.

Mumbo was stuttering above him, “Gosh, I - You really do not waste any time. Are you sure this is okay? I mean, you’ve already gone for t-two rounds today, goodness—”

But Grian paid him no mind. He was face to face with the sight of some of his most enjoyable past sexual endeavours, and Grian licked his lips in anticipation of how Mumbo would feel in his mouth. The man wasn’t hard yet, but Grian wasn’t worried - _that_ was easy to take care of.

“I’m sure, Mumbo Jumbolio. I don’t need to go again - I just want to show you how much I appreciate your company, how much I’ve missed you.” He looked up, gazing softly into Mumbo’s rust-coloured eyes. “How much I’ve missed _this.”_

There was a change of pace. Grian knew what made Mumbo come undone, after their years of friendship and the many times they’d slept together in the past. Grian leaned in, and he parted his lips before exhaling gently onto the shaft of Mumbo’s dick, letting the warm air wash over the length. Mumbo shuddered. Grian decided to take it a step further, and started nuzzling up against the side of the dick, letting his lips skim fleetingly, teasingly, over the length, rubbing his cheek against it - and then he looked up, once again meeting Mumbo’s eyes.

As their gazes locked, Grian felt Mumbo’s dick twitch against his cheek, and he moaned softly, sweetly in response, parting his lips again to give another breathy exhale.

“I want to worship you,” Grian said, breathily. “I want to show you how good I can be, for you, show you how much you mean to me.” Another twitch. Mumbo was half hard, now. Grian kept going, batting his eyelashes up at his friend in a coy display. “Please, Mumbo? Won’t you help me? I’ll let you have me, and I’ll take you in so deep… please?”

A long groan left Mumbo’s lips as he let his head tilt backwards, breaking their eye contact as his hips thrust gently against Grian’s face.

“Gods, Grian, you always know how to get to me. _Yes,_ I’ll let you show me. I’ll make you take it so deep, so good that you’ll have no other choice but for it to feel good for you, too. Would that please you?”

Grian’s breathing was picking up, now, and this time it was not even _slightly_ exaggerated when he whined out, _“Yes.”_

“Then open your mouth.”

Grian did so without hesitation, parting his lips in clear invitation, and Mumbo wrapped one hand around the base of himself before guiding the head of his dick to rest on Grian’s bottom lip, heavy and lovely and _exactly_ what Grian had wanted.

They stayed like that for a few moments, gazing into each other's eyes at Mumbo’s dick lay teasingly at Grian’s parted lips, not yet pushing in. Grian pressed the tip of his tongue to the head. Mumbo was fully hard now, and Grian was rewarded for his actions by droplets of precome spilling against his tongue. He moaned, and then Mumbo thrust inwards.

Grian’s moan was choked off when the tip of Mumbo’s dick hit the back of his throat - and he wrapped his lips tightly around the length, tongue tracing the veins and lathering it with the mixture of drool and Mumbo’s own precome, making everything slick for when Mumbo pulled back out, once more pausing with the head in between Grian’s lips.

Another thrust inwards, and Grian felt the force of it shove the back of his head into the cauldron he was kneeling in front of. It made him unable to direct how deep Mumbo could go, and when Mumbo grinded inwards, the head of his dick pressing down Grian’s throat, the very idea of his own powerlessness (real though it might not be) made his own dick throb within the confines of his pants.

Mumbo repeated the movement, pulling back out before thrusting back in, this time the force of the action and Grian’s preparedness allowed Mumbo to push directly down Grian’s throat even further, and the taller man moaned above him, crowding Grian’s head up against the cauldron, caging him in as Mumbo bent over slightly.

Mumbo was _long._ Despite how the stretch and slide in Grian’s throat was already getting kind of uncomfortable with how hard he had to work to repress his gag reflex and how much rough treatment his throat had already gotten that day, Mumbo still hadn’t bottomed out. Grian was _more_ than willing to endure a bit of pain for Mumbo’s sake - his head was spinning with it, the heat that the realisation never failed to fill him with. His mouth was watering, and so were his eyes, but still he tried as best as he could to remain the eye contact the two of them shared.

“So good for me… _ah,_ Grian, there’s a good lad,” Mumbo panted out. He pulled out of Grian’s throat to let his dick rest heavily on Grian’s tongue, allowing him to catch his breath. “You ready to take me all the way?”

Grian moaned, and let his eyes flutter shut. He nodded as best as he could, feeling the heat of anticipation roll through him.

Mumbo murmured, voice gentle, “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Without waiting for Grian to attempt to reply, Mumbo rolled his hips forward. Grian took one last deep breath before the head Mumbo’s dick pushed down his throat once more - only this time, the taller man didn’t stop. When the strain got too uncomfortable, Grian tilted his head backwards, and the worst bite of the tightness eased off, but—

He couldn’t even choke, he couldn’t make a single sound as Mumbo finally bottomed out, pubic hair pressing against Grian’s upper lip and tickling his nose. Mumbo was so deep inside him, Grian swore it felt like he was reaching _through_ him somehow, despite how impossible the thought was - his head was spinning, and he felt his hands flex around Mumbo’s thighs without him telling them to, a response from Grian’s nervous system to warn him about the lack of oxygen.

“Come on, love, you can take it… just a little more,” Mumbo said, voice sickeningly sweet and raspy with want, and had Grian been able to, he would’ve moaned at the words. His chest hurt, but he endured. Mumbo’s hips pressed him up against the cauldron - Grian couldn’t pull off if he wanted to.

A few more seconds passed like that, and Grian’s hands were losing strength. Gods, only Mumbo ever dared to take his mouth _quite_ like this, he was the only one who knew for a _fact_ how much Grian could take, and how much he wanted to be kept teetering at the edge of _too much_. Everything was going hazy, softness and warmth tugging at the edges of Grian’s mind, even as his lungs were screaming at him.

Grian wasn’t quite aware enough to notice when his hands fell limply away from Mumbo’s thighs, but the moment they did, the taller man pulled out of his mouth. Grian’s body took control over his mind as he coughed and sputtered, drawing in desperate mouthfuls of breath as clarity slammed back into his mind. Tears were spilling down his face from the force of his breathing, and his chest was heaving wildly.

Gentle fingers touched his jaw, and Grian panted as drool and tears ran down his chin as the hand tilted his face upwards until he could meet Mumbo’s hooded eyes. “Beautiful, Gri, always so beautiful for me,” Mumbo sighed.

Grian keened at the praise, and he so desperately wanted the words to continue, for more praises to follow—

His jaw was aching, and his throat burned, but he couldn’t help himself. He craved it, the feeling, the safety and handing over of control that Mumbo inspired in him, whenever the two of them were together like they were now.

Grian raised his shaking hands up once again -remembering the importance of the signals they carried for Mumbo’s peace of mind- to gently cup Mumbo’s thighs.

Mumbo didn’t make him wait long, and too soon _(not soon enough—)_ his dick was forcing its way down Grian’s throat again - only, this time, he _did_ gag on it, his throat was already so irritated and hoarse from everything that had happened today—

Mumbo simply groaned as the muscles of Grian’s throat constricted around him, shoving even _deeper._ And the gagging stopped, if only because there was no more room for Grian’s muscles to keep up the movements.

Firmly lodged in Grian’s throat, Mumbo started rocking back and forth, never leaving the tight constraint during the slow thrusting.

The prolonged stretch was unpleasant, and Grian could _feel_ his throat growing more sore and irritated by the minute, lungs aching and chest spasming as his body desperately tried to exhale, to make a sound, to draw in fresh air. Mumbo kept him from doing all of those things, and Grian loved him for it. He was drooling, a mix of spit and precome escaping the corners of his mouth around Mumbo’s dick.

Mumbo’s movements were rocking the back of Grian’s head into the hard surface of the cauldron, holding him in place as his face grew a mess, tears once more running down his cheeks before joining the drool dripping down onto his sweater.

“You’re perfect,” Mumbo groaned out, breath speeding up while his movements remained as calm and unforgiving as they’d always been. “I’m close. And you’re gonna let me come down your throat, won’t you, love?”

Grian’s eyelids fluttered shut. Heat was pooling in his stomach, bright spots were dancing in the darkness as things grew hazy, every sensation blurring and getting increasingly hard to pay attention to.

Mumbo moaned, long and drawn out. He pulled out of Grian’s throat, once, allowing the smaller man to wheeze out the stale air that had been filling his lungs, quickly gulping down a wonderfully cool and fresh mouthful—

Then Mumbo shoved back in, and he stilled. Grian heard him groan above him, and he felt the shaft of Mumbo’s dick pulsate gently against his tongue as the taller man came. He couldn’t tell when Mumbo’s orgasm ended - the head of his dick was too far down Grian’s throat for Grian to realise when Mumbo had finished spilling, _filling_ him—

But when Mumbo slowly pulled out of his throat for the final time, before leaving his mouth completely, Grian knew that they were done.

He sat there, kneeling on the floor, face covered in fluids and panting heavily. Each breath he took wheezed out of him, and the way his throat felt, had it not been for the context, Grian would not have been able to tell whether he’d gotten a bad case of the flu or if he’d just been sucking too much dick. It was painfully raw. His eyes remained closed.

Warm hands wrapped around his midsection and lifted him up off the ground. Grian found himself tucked into a slim chest, arms around him holding him in place, and slowly, ever so slowly, his breathing calmed down.

“You did so well, love,” Mumbo whispered, breath dancing over the top of Grian’s head, rustling his hair. “I don’t have any potions, unfortunately, but let’s get you some water. Then, we can go to bed. How’s that sound?”

Grian nodded. Everything was hurting, but it was almost like it was being filtered through a gentle, soothing fog. The pain was distant. Present, but not at the forefront of his mind. He was boneless, and he just wanted to sleep. Today had been a long day. Good, but long.

The neck of a bottle was pressed to his lips, and Grian wrapped his lips around it obediently, keeping his eyes closed while gulping down the cold water greedily, enjoying the way the liquid stung on the way down before leaving his throat feeling soothed.

“You can sleep, Gri. I’ll carry you to bed. I’m here.”

With another weak nod, Grian sunk further into Mumbo’s arms - and he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Asleep - The Smiths


	6. You don't need to hide, my friend (for I'm just like you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Parrots and the bats II] Get some eggs inside you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cub and cave spiders.
> 
> Please take note of the added tags - the mobfucking begins.

~ * ~

Grian was determined to keep the achievements coming. Once he was in the lead over Doc, he’d make sure to visit the half-creeper to rub it in. After completing his fourth achievement with Mumbo’s help the night before - _Grian has made the achievement [You’ve got stamina]_ cheerfully greeting him in the chat as he was scrolling through what the hermits had been up to in the night as Mumbo prepared him some tea, he was already thinking of what to do next.

Mumbo had sent him off with a smile once Grian and him had bathed together in the stream outside of Mumbo’s hobbit hole, and Grian started the trek to his own base.

He managed to get himself three different parrot heads by the time he arrived at his own hobbit hole, and Grian hummed out tunelessly as he donned one of the masks before grabbing some building materials from the chests stored on the grass outside.

He got to work.

By early evening, his base had two rooms dug out and one fully decorated, as well as a zombie xp grinder fully set up and working. Satisfied with the day’s work, Grian smirked to himself. All work, no play, and all that. Grian had no intention of being a dull boy, however, his base _had_ been suffering from his day out yesterday.

That was then, and work was finished. Now, it was time for fun.

Grian remembered taking note of some of the conversations that had been taking place in the previous days. He had quite a few options to choose from, if he wanted an achievement done tonight, but… one message in particular had stood out to him.

_ <CubFan135> Luck is on my side today! Guess who just found THREE cave spider spawners within range? _

The idea was already exciting him, and Grian pulled open his private messages before typing one out for Cub.

_ <Grian> hi Cub! i was wondering if you’re busy? _

He didn’t have to wait long for an answer, screen lighting up.

_ <CubFan135> No man, I was just grinding out some levels! Good timing though, I was about to AFK :) _

_ <Grian> oo, lucky! _

_ <Grian> i was actually wanting to talk to you about that.. _

_ <CubFan135> Ah _

_ <CubFan135> Let me guess _

_ <CubFan135> You want to… TRY the spawners. Right? _

Grian smiled. Cub was a smart man.

_ <Grian> bingo! _

_ <CubFan135> Well well well. Anything can be done for the right price, my friend. _

Cub was also a businessman at heart. Grian shook his head exasperatedly, feeling like he should have predicted this.

_ <Grian> ah yes, about that _

_ <Grian> what did you have in mind? i’m still rather poor :’D _

_ <CubFan135> Oh, nothin’ major, nothin’ major. _

Well. If that didn’t fill Grian’s stomach with dread.

_ <CubFan135> How about a simple IOU note? :) _

Grian, knowing fully well how valuable those were, shot back,

_ <Grian> if you’re willing to offer me the full treatment and not just borrowing the farm, you’ve got yourself a deal _

_ <CubFan135> Consider it done. _

_ <CubFan135> Pleasure doing business with you, mister Grian :) _

_ <Grian> likewise, mr Cub! _

_ <CubFan135> When can I expect you over, then? _

_ <Grian> i’m coming over right now, send the coords and i’ll be there within the hour ;) _

  
  
  


Grian made his way over to the mesa just as the sun was beginning to set, and he was glad to see the lit up mineshaft that Cub had been directing him to via chat for more reasons than one.

The man himself was waiting for Grian, just past the well-lit entrance, one hand reaching out in offering. “Grian. It’s good to see you, my friend! How has the season treated you thus far?”

Grian walked up to Cub before grasping the man’s palm with his own, shaking his hand in their playfully professional manner. “Likewise, Cub. Just splendidly, thank you. And yourself?”

“Yes yes,” Cub nodded, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Just as well. This world seems plentiful in riches to be gained, for sure.” Then, Cub took in Grian’s iron armour, and added with a tone of icy politeness, “...as I’m sure you will get to experience for yourself sometime soon. Not everyone can work hard _and_ play hard right from the very beginning, after all. There’s no shame in it.”

Grian’s previously cheerful smile froze over as he took in the condescending tone of Cub’s words. His own dripped with sarcasm when he said, “Indeed.”

Cub returned his smile, just as cold as the man’s blue eyes. “The payment?”

Grian grimaced, just the tiniest bit, at having to hand over one of the precious notes of goodwill and favour this early in the season. The thought of the triple spawners, as well as Cub’s promise to watch over the process, was what finally made Grian reach into his inventory to grab the piece of paper.

“One IOU, as promised,” Grian said, professional mask back in place. Him and Cub had played this game for a long time - ever since the Architechs had started marketing for the opening of Sahara. It was always frustrating, exhilarating, maddening - and _fun._

Cub grabbed the note from Grian’s offering hand. A quick glance told the man that the piece of paper was indeed the IOU, and with cold eyes and a deceptively warm smile, Cub met his gaze once more. “Splendid! Follow me, please, and we’ll get you all sorted out.”

The taller man waited for no reply from Grian before turning his back to him as Cub started making his way into the mineshaft. Grian huffed at the dismissal, but followed the other man nonetheless.

“Into this room here,” Cub said as he walked into what Grian quickly recognised as the killing chamber, “is where the magic happens. Right now, the farm is primed towards xp, but with one flick of this here lever -” Cub pointed towards the far wall, “- the last waterstream will turn off, allowing the spiders to stop and approach into the last passage at their own will.”

Grian nodded politely at the explanation, focusing on keeping his breathing steady. Spiders were always an adventure, but cave spiders - well. Cave spiders were another story altogether.

“And how will you assure my safety?” Grian asked, tilting his head towards Cub while still maintaining his gaze at the aforementioned kill chamber.

“You will set your spawn here, in case the worst were to happen,” Cub nodded, “but once the first few spiders have gotten started, the rest should lose interest in fighting. As for the poisoning—”

Cub pulled out a few bottles of golden honey. “I’ve got that sorted. The moment you want to stop, I will pull the lever, flushing the spiders away - and you will be able to enderpearl out. If you are unable to do so, I will retrieve you myself.”

The man turned to face Grian fully, and with heat beginning to simmer in the lower parts of his belly, Grian did the same. Pivoting on his feet until he could face Cub, who was raising an eyebrow at him in question. “How does that sound?”

“My, Cub,” Grian said, applauding him with faked enthusiasm. “It certainly seems like you’ve thought of everything. However, I find myself wondering… how well does all of this work in praxis? Has it been tested and tried?”

“Oh, it works. I can tell you that.”

Grian smirked at that. “I see. That’s settled then - just one more thing.”

Cub paused. “What?”

“I believe we agreed to the _full_ treatment, didn’t we?”

Slowly, a grin spread over Cub’s face, finally reaching his eyes. “Indeed we did. How forgetful of me,” he shook his head. “Preparations and aftercare will, of course, be provided also, along with a warm meal and a bed to sleep in for the night after you’ve had your fun.”

That was more like it. “And… assistance… getting the eggs out, should the need arise?”

Cub’s breath stuttered, just the tiniest bit. “If you should happen to want it, then yes. Only the best for my dear customers.”

Grian hummed, and started pulling his hoodie over his head. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Cub hummed around a smile, and went to prepare a bed in the corner of the room while Grian undressed.

Grian was… so, so excited for this. A single spawner would have been fun, but a triple one? Oh man. And the dynamic between Cub and himself never failed to send shivers down his spine, his own need to prove himself mixed with the condescending tone of the other man—

“Whenever you’re ready, come lay down on the bed,” Cub’s voice called out across the room, snapping Grian out of his musings. He finished stepping out of his boxers, his whole body -bruised and bitten as it was- on full display as he approached where Cub was waiting beside the bed.

Grian sent a coy smile his way before turning his back to the taller man, showing off the bite mark on his bottom as he crawled onto the bed on his hands and knees. He heard Cub swearing softly beneath his breath, and Grian’s smile turned into a grin, hidden from the other man.

He laid down on the bed, not before grabbing a pillow and shoving it beneath his own hips, and made himself comfortable as he pillowed his own head on his folded arms, ass in the air and legs parted. “Okay, I’m all settled in. Ready when you are, mister Cub.”

“O-of course,” Cub stammered out. Grian felt the bed shift as the man got onto the bed before settling in between Grian’s legs. Grian could hear the telltale sound of thick fluid being squeezed out of its container, and he hummed as he sank further into the mattress.

The first touch against his skin was Cub’s warm, dry hand, settling on the unbruised cheek of Grian’s ass and spreading him. It forced a soft sigh out of him. Cub’s hands were steady - always had been. Then, one single slicked up finger circled around Grian’s rim, just once, before pressing in.

Cub immediately started thrusting the finger, adding another one shortly as he realised that Grian was already quite relaxed around him.

There was nothing necessarily… erotic, about the way Cub handled him. The man’s actions were so steady and detached, almost clinical in their professionalism - yet Grian found himself slowly heating up from within, and it was not just from the feeling of fingers working him open, nor from the knowledge of what would be happening after. The way Cub treated him, made him feel… small. Replaceable. Like he was just another hole, another duty Cub had to fulfill. It made Grian feel the burn of shame, of _need,_ course through him, and it didn’t take long until he was whining on the bed, trying to muffle his sounds by pressing his face into the mattress.

“You don’t have to stifle your sounds for my sake. I am a professional, and your reactions are completely natural,” Cub said. Grian could hear a trace of a mocking smile in the man’s voice—

Grian’s hips twitched, and he couldn’t help but cry out. The words were like scalding water being poured into his veins, and he shivered on the bed beneath Cub’s steady hands.

Another finger was pushing in, and Grian’s breath hitched. He was still feeling his activities from yesterday, but a good night’s sleep and treating himself to some hearty meals throughout the day had replenished him enough that Grian wasn’t worried. Cub was doing a thorough job of preparing him - and then some. The slight sting just added to everything, and as Cub kept talking - it also added to Grian’s shame, for the fact that he was _enjoying_ it.

“I will work you up to four fingers, and then you’ll be ready for the farm. It should be no problem to you, what with how loose you are already. I’m sure yesterday was a big help, huh?” Cub said, voice sounding disorientingly unaffected, like he was discussing his latest build, or the weather. “Between us, I’m a bit surprised you came to me for this so soon. I’m sure you must still be sore from yesterday - but of course, some people do find pleasure in that.”

Grian _ached._

“Last finger, now,” Cub said with a conversational tone.

Grian took a trembling inhale - and the fourth finger pressed inside him, as steadily as the rest had been. He panted, lips parted as he breathed into the mattress. The sting, the _words_ \- gods, it was already a lot.

When Cub started moving, fingers thrusting slowly as they scissored him open, Grian found himself needing to flex the muscles of his legs, squeezing his thighs as he staved off his orgasm. He wanted to save it for the farm— He _needed_ to—

“All done.”

The fingers pulled out of him, and Grian relaxed, feeling his body simmering from within at how close he had been, how near the edge he still was. He breathed, shivering on the bed until Cub’s warm hands gripped his shoulder and helped guide him up into a seated position.

“Come along, now. You can rest once you’re in there.”

Grian nodded, wordlessly, and let Cub help him to his feet. The man helped him walk, supporting Grian as he stumbled on clumsy legs, towards the side tunnel leading to the trapdoor that would let him into the farm.

Once the spruce trapdoor was before him, Grian slowly sank down to his knees, getting ready to crawl in, when Cub’s voice stopped him.

“Don’t forget the honey.”

Grian accepted the four bottles with numb fingers, placing them in his otherwise empty hotbar. Then, Cub handed him an ender pearl.

“Also this, in case you’re able to get yourself out when you’re done. I’ll leave the trapdoor open for you.” Grian nodded, and then Cub added, reassuringly, “And if you can’t, that’s fine, too. I’ll keep watch, and if you tell me to, I’ll come receive you immediately. Same thing if you fall unconscious, or if I otherwise deem it necessary. Sound good?”

Grian parted his lips, still crouching on the stone floor. “Y-yeah.”

He looked up at Cub’s face. The man’s smile was cold, but his eyes were _burning._

“Then all I can say is, have fun. It’s always a pleasure doing business with you.”

Dismissed, Grian turned to crawl through the trapdoor.

The spruce creaked open when Grian pushed at it, the hinges moving easily despite the sound. The floor of the tunnel was still covered in moving water, and more than a few spiders had already gathered at the end of the passage, by the metal gates Cub had set up.

Grian heard a click echoing down the stone walls, and the water sources retracted into the floor seamlessly. With a gulp, Grian made his way into the centre of the tunnel before pausing, still on his hands and knees. Further down, towards the kill chamber, Grian easily caught the sound of Cub slicing at the gathered mob of spiders with his sword, the terrifying screeching of the monsters sounding hauntingly from the darkness - and then everything was still.

He panted softly, feeling nerves and anticipation starting to build up, now that Grian had the time and peace of mind to let it do so. Everything was so quiet.

Then, the pitter-pattering of hard, pointed feet, scrambling against the stone floor and trying to move against the pull of the moving water further up the tunnel could be heard. The sound of mandibles clicking, and strange, breathy screeches were making their way down towards where Grian was kneeling. Waiting.

The noises grew louder as the first few spiders got closer. Grian closed his eyes, letting his head hang limply from his shoulders as he held his position. He spread his legs.

As he heard the first footsteps clicking against the stone floor without any water to dampen the sound, Grian got struck with inspiration, and he hurriedly scrambled to turn his face towards the gates at the end of the tunnel, and sure enough - through the metal, he could see Cub’s bright blue eyes, blazing with cold fire and an intensity that made Grian’s breath catch in his throat.

As two pointy legs prodded at his exposed back, Grian shot a shaky smirk Cub’s way, before once again letting his neck relax as he faced the floor. He could see the spider’s legs in between his own, shimmering with the deep blue colour that made their difference to the surface variety so obvious. He heard the mandibles snapping in quick succession above him as the creature seemed to be hesitating. Maybe they realised immediately that he meant them no harm?

No sooner than the thought had hit him, Grian screamed as he felt a sharp pain shoot through the back of his right thigh. The pain was immediately followed by the dizzying sensation of vertigo as poison made its way through his veins, and Grian moaned weakly as he pulled out the first honey bottle, gulping it down but otherwise staying completely still.

The empty glass bottle dropped to the ground, and the sound of it rolling down the tunnel made Grian flinch.

Once more, the spider seemed to hesitate. Grian was shivering beneath it - and with a quick glance, Grian confirmed that there were several other spiders already gathered in the dark tunnel, watching him with their soulless red eyes.

He felt something sharp and pointed prod at his thigh, and Grian whimpered - no more poison, _please -_ but the spider didn’t sting him. Grian’s eyes opened wide as a thrill of exhilaration shot through him at the realisation - the limb that was poking around his backside was pointed, sure, but it was not blunt enough to pierce his skin unless the spider put lethal force into the blow.

It was also slightly… sticky.

Two of the creature’s legs wrapped around Grian’s midsection - and he made a small sound in response, both from the thrill and the fear. He was pulled harshly against the spider’s hard body, and he squirmed at the uncomfortable position as the hard point of the creature’s… dick? Ovipositor? Grian had no real way of knowing yet, not until it spilled inside him— prodded against his naked flesh.

Thigh, the small of his back, the flesh of his ass, perineum— and Grian _screamed_ at that, the hard press of the pointed limb made shockwaves of pleasure force its way through him, bringing Grian’s orgasm right back to the surface, so close, he swore he could _see_ the edges of it when he screwed his eyes shut hard enough—

Then the spider pressed against his hole, and it shoved in.

A choked wheeze escaped him as he fell limp in the creature’s grasp. The spider hissed out another shrill scream above him, and Grian shuddered as he felt the sound reverberate through the body of the beast as it clung around him.

The creature’s sexual organ was _hard._ It was slightly curved, but unyielding against Grian’s insides as it forced his body to stretch around it as it pushed violently into him. It missed his prostate, but Grian was already feeling so heated from Cub’s treatment, the knowledge that the man was watching it all, and the aftershocks of the harsh thrust against his prostate from before, that it didn’t make much of a difference.

Grian felt small, held to the spider’s frame like a limp ragdoll, his body jostled around when the spider gave a few hard thrusts inside his body before stilling.

Moment of truth, Grian thought to himself as he felt the limb inside him shift, even after the spider’s movements had stopped as it held him, impaled on the hardness inside him as it came. Only question was if there would be eggs or semen filling him—

Warm, wet heat spilled inside him, and Grian got his answer. A low groan left him at the wet feeling, adding to the slickness Cub had worked him open with, but he supposed he would appreciate it more once the eggs entered the scene.

Then he was falling.

Grian yelled before hitting the stone floor, knees and elbows painfully landing on the rough ground, making sharp throbs of pain shoot through his body from the points of impact. He groaned at the pain -Grian could already tell he was going to bruise- and then another spider was on him, mandibles closing around a chunk of his hair and dragging him up to his feet.

He gasped as the sharp tugging forced his trembling limbs to raise him up, the spider pulling on his hair until Grian was swaying unsteadily on the balls of his feet, trying to ease the pressure on his scalp.

The spider thrust against him, and this one was more accurate with its positioning. One hard thrust was all it took, and Grian screamed as he felt the spider shove roughly inside him, deeper than the last one had.

Grian felt some of the last spider’s come leak out and drip down his thigh when the mob started thrusting inside him. He moaned when the new angle made the curved organ inside him brush _just_ past his prostate, near enough to be teasing, but not enough to make him come.

When the spider stilled after just a few more thrusts, uncaring about how the experience was for him - he was just a convenient hole for them to dump their seed into, after all—

And this one, too, filled him with fluid - causing Grian to sob as it filled him up, resting heavy in his gut for the amount of time it took the spider to pull out of him. When it did, a small stream of sticky come ran out alongside it, making Grian moan as some of the pressure in his abdomen dissipated.

When the spider released its grip on Grian’s hair, he stumbled but managed to catch himself before falling over and faceplanting onto the floor again. As soon as he had straightened back up again, another spider was already waiting for him, having stepped out from the ones piling up at the end of the water streams.

Grian gasped as the spider used four legs to pull him up to its body, and the sound turned into a breathy whine when his entire front side was pressed up against the spider’s hard body, Grian’s dick dragging over the rough exterior of the spider’s shell. The spider’s legs were wrapped so tightly around him, squeezing his rips hard enough to make them creak in protest - and Grian wheezed when he felt more come leak out of him.

The spider shoved inside him - and Grian’s vision whited out. He thrashed in the spider’s grip as each relentless thrust pressed into his prostate with devastating accuracy. When his vision cleared again, Grian found his eyes to be blurring with tears, and his throat was hoarse from the amount of sounds he’d been making, yells and cries being forced out of him.

Vaguely, Grian realised he’d come during the violent stimulation, and he felt his own release smeared against the abdomen of the spider, where his now limp dick was still pressed against it.

The spider had stopped moving, but it hadn’t spilled inside him yet. Grian was gasping in shallow breaths of air, trying to blink the tears from his eyes. The force around his midsection was still making it hard to breathe—

And then he felt the shaft within him swell.

At first it pressed against the outside of his rim, and for a moment Grian wondered if the muscles of the ovipositor would be strong enough to force the egg inside him— Then, the spider _thrusted._ The thick bulge within the shaft was _fucked_ inside him, and Grian went frigid, mouth gaping wide open even as no sound managed to make its way out of his throat.

The sudden flare of pain, the stretch -despite Cub’s preparation- was like cold lightning, electrifying and chilling as it made his muscles lock up as the egg continued its path inside the spider’s sexual organ, and thus - deeper inside Grian. The further in the egg went, the less pain Grian felt. But as the fluids he’d been filled with before squelched around inside him, the egg only added to the tightness, the heavy feeling of _weight_ inside him—

He felt it when the egg slipped free from the ovipositor. And, slowly, much slower than any of the spiders previously, the length inside him retreated, pulling out of him with a wet sound, leaving the egg inside.

This spider was gracious enough to lower him slowly to the ground before unwrapping its legs from his body, not that Grian was quite able to tell - he was still reeling with aftershocks of the pain, and the tight feeling in his gut. With a groan, he realised it’d only get _tighter_ from then on out - and he had to suppress a laugh when his dick twitched at the realisation. _Gods,_ but he was messed up—

“One down, Grian. Make sure you’re getting your payment’s worth of them before calling it quits,” Cub’s voice suddenly echoed down to him from beyond the kill chamber. Grian was hit with the reminder that the other man was watching it all - watching Grian get absolutely _wrecked,_ and _coming_ from it—

Yeah, he was hard again.

Another spider picked him up, and Grian whined as it only held him up with two legs, causing him to sway rather painfully from it’s grip as it thrust inside him. He was still uncomfortably sensitive from his recent orgasm, and the ache of the sudden stretch made what had been an easy enough width to handle before now feel more prominent, more _raw._

He heard the spiders around him scuttle around, and there was whispery screeching and hisses sounding from above and around him, and tiredly, Grian raised his head to try and see what the commotion was about. Spiders didn’t usually fight one another, did they?

The sight that met him made his stomach drop and his dick throb.

A second spider was mounting the one currently fucking him. And Grian was face-first with its abdomen, and thus he realised what was about to happen, even if the knowledge didn’t help him in any way - he was powerless to stop it, and deep, deep down, in some shameful, hidden part of him… Grian wasn’t even sure if he wanted to.

The second spider thrust against his face - and Grian raised his head higher with a strained yell as the pointed dick was moved dangerously close to his eyes. His lips parted to cry out again, back and neck straining with holding the position as the spider currently inside him stopped thrusting and started pressing another egg inside him— and the limb aiming for his mouth hit home.

Grian gagged at the taste of it - sickly sweet and thick, the sticky substance covering it coating his tongue. Luckily, the spider didn’t have the leverage to push down his throat - with how hard the exterior of the sexual organ was, no matter if it still retained enough flexibility to force an egg through it, would doubtlessly have been enough to damage his throat.

As the spider shallowly thrust against his mouth, sliding past his lips and dragging over his tongue, Grian suddenly realised he didn’t know whether it was going to be come… or an _egg_ making its way out of the pointed tip when the spider released inside his mouth.

He was crying again, but not from the pain. The intensity of his fear was more than enough to make his body quake and his eyes start leaking, and the terrified-sounding whimpers and cries that escaped him around the shaft in his mouth sounded pitiful, even to his own ears. He was once again so hard that he was _leaking,_ and Grian felt more shame course through him as the fear did nothing to stave off how hard he was, or how twistedly enjoyable he found it all.

When the second egg left the spider’s ovipositor, settling heavily deep inside of him, the spider fucking his mouth went still. Grian sobbed with fear as he awaited what would happen.

When a rush of thick liquid spilled over his tongue, Grian didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed. The fear of anticipation left him feeling weak, hanging loosely from where he was held and still impaled by the two spiders. Come was spilling out of his mouth, but the width of the spider’s dick, Grian realised with another start of fright, was enough to ensure that the come escaping his mouth was being replaced faster than it could spill from between his lips.

He gagged as the come filled his throat, and he fought the hold the spiders had on him when some of the sticky fluid made its way up his nose. He couldn’t _breathe—_

His body, acting on reflex and disobeying his mind, swallowed. Shame burned within him as the thick fluid made its way down his throat, churning in his stomach. The spider kept spilling the thick, sweet liquid, and Grian’s body went slack with realisation… and acceptance. He kept swallowing the liquid down, growing sick with himself, even as his dick was aching with heat. He hated how much he _loved_ it. (He didn’t hate it, not one _bit—)_

Things went blurry by the time the spider pulled out of his mouth and dismounted the spider that was still inside his ass, unmoving as it waited for the other spider to move.

Grian was left on the floor, limbs spread out in an uncoordinated manner as he panted shallowly around the full feeling. He heard the clicking of an uncountable number of pointed feet, and his mind was buzzing with the whispering hisses of the spider’s surrounding him.

Another spider approached, and this one didn’t even bother to pick him up. It seemed content to crouch down to his level, fucking him into the floor as he lay there, still drawing in grateful breaths of air.

More liquid spilled inside him. It _ached._

Grian’s mind was swimming. Another spider, and Grian was picked up once more. He was turned around by the strong limbs before being pressed to the spider’s abdomen. Grian felt heat run hot and sharp through his body when he realised his stomach was protruding a bit out from his body with how full he was—

The curved limb pressed inside him, sealing him up so nothing could leak out, and Grian sobbed. When the position made the spider’s thrusts drag over his prostate, Grian’s limbs were flailing at the assault of stimulation wrecking its way through his body.

Thrust. _Ache._ Thrust. _Ache._ Thrust. Pause.

Another egg was fucked inside him. As the width of it passed his prostate, dragging over the sensitive spot as it entered his body, Grian came again.

His body was squeezing around the ovipositor inside him, and Grian moaned desperately as he felt the egg leave the shaft. He was so _full._ His body was still coming, muscles contracting around the spider’s limb when it started retreating. Grian cried out as he clenched down on it, trying to keep it inside—

With a wet sound, it left his body.

But the full feeling remained, and Grian made a soft sound as his walls fluttered around the eggs with each wave of pleasure still making its way through him, a deeper, heavier sort of stimulation. Everything felt warm as the orgasm slowly faded out.

Grian whined weakly in futile protest when another spider immediately mounted him, this one, too, seemingly content with fucking him as he lay on the ground. It only thrusted once, twice, before stilling - and when another egg was pressing against his insides, Grian was gone.

He didn’t lose consciousness. This much he was certain of, because if he did, Cub would have gotten him out. But he was floating on the high of it, of the excruciating, prolonged pleasure, the shame, the heat, the ever-increasing full feeling inside him.

More eggs. More come. Grian wasn’t even hard, still too spent from his previous orgasm, but he swore he came again.

He only realised how big his stomach was getting when another spider picked him up to press him face-first to its abdomen, and Grian’s dick didn’t touch the spider’s shell at all.

The eggs were shifting inside him, more getting added and more fluids getting spilled around them. His body was growing heavy, the weight of his stomach dragging him down to the floor in between being picked up, fucked and filled once more.

The pressure was painful, but his hazy brain paid it no mind, other than to distantly acknowledge it.

Grian’s eyes were glazed over, another dry orgasm being forced out of him, when a new sound made its way through the fog in his mind, echoing down the tunnel.

“Alright. That’s enough.”

Grian didn’t react to the words, but for making a small, inquisitive sound that barely made its way out from his chest.

A click.

And then the cool rush of flowing water was surrounding him. Grian blinked, but his body was too heavy for the water to move it. His arms and legs were floating on the gentle current, swaying in it, and Grian felt like he was being elevated, lifted from the cave floor and the cool water as he distantly noted that the spiders were hissing, protesting at being flushed away towards the end of the tunnel by the water once more—

Grian realised that he _was,_ in fact, being lifted. He raised his head, feeling weak and dizzy, and he saw Cub’s face above him, still easily recognisable despite the lack of lighting.

And he relaxed, knowing he was safe.

He heard water sloshing as Cub walked, Grian’s body swaying softly with each step the other man took. Grian noticed that Cub wasn’t taking him to the trap doors. Instead, they were walking a bit further up, and Grian realised there was an iron door there, a wooden button sitting just above it.

As they approached the door, Grian reached a trembling hand out, and he heard Cub chuckle when Grian, determinedly despite how fucked out and exhausted he was, reached out to press the button. The iron door opened, and Cub stepped through the doorway, into another tunnel, with an amused, “Thank you.”

Grian hummed in response, feeling the rhythmic swaying of Cub’s walking and the safety provided by the firm arms carrying him begin pulling Grian closer to the edge of sleep - only how uncomfortably full he was feeling kept him from passing out.

Soon, the two of them were back in the kill chamber - but Cub didn’t stop there. Instead, he carried Grian to the next room, kicking open a spruce door before making his way inside the room.

Grian blinked at the large bed, chests, and the shallow pool sitting in one corner. Other than that, the room was empty.

“What,” Grian croaked out, wincing at how hoarse he was, before starting over. “What’s the pool for?”

Cub was walking them over to the edge of the water. “Expelling the eggs will be a much easier process if you’re crouched in the water.”

“Oh.”

“Also, you smell.”

Despite himself, a startled giggle escaped Grian at that. “I believe you.”

As Cub lowered him carefully into the warm water, Grian sighed softly as he sank into the soothing feeling, crossing his arms on the bank of the pool. The weightlessness of the water was already heavenly against how heavy and full he was feeling, a gentle current tickling his legs as the water was slowly moving from an opening in the wall.

“That’s nice,” Grian murmured, closing his eyes.

“I bet it’s gonna feel even nicer when you push those eggs out,” Cub stated, matter of factly.

Grian’s eyes shot open. His breath stuttered as his eyes went wide - and just like it had never left, he felt the haze tug at the edges of his consciousness once more.

“C-Cub…” Grian stammered, body running hot and cold, all at once.

“Come on, Grian. Don’t you wanna show me how many you managed to take? I couldn’t quite see, when you were in there, what with the darkness…”

Heat. Moving slowly, like molten magma flowing beneath the surface, warmth reverberating through every crease and crevice of his body.

Grian whimpered. “I-I don’t think I—”

“But you _can,”_ Cub insisted, sounding firm and sure. “Don’t you wanna show me?”

“I _do,”_ Grian said, voice weak.

“Then do it, Grian. _Push.”_

His entire body was trembling, the water sloshing around his body with the movement and making small, unsteady waves beat against the edge of the pool. Grian lowered his head to rest on his folded arms, pulling his knees up beneath him and spreading his legs.

The warm water lapped at his sore skin, and despite the initial sting, it felt nice. Grian steeled himself.

And then he pushed. He cried out in instant relief when he felt some of the fluid run out of him, mixing with the water before getting swept away by the current. Nothing else was moving, though, and Grian shivered with frustration.

“More, Grian.”

Eyes clenched shut, Grian nodded. He strained his muscles as he pressed, his cry turning into a whimper when finally, he felt movement inside him as the eggs shifted. They were moving, albeit slowly.

Grian kept up the pressure for as long as he could before collapsing once more, panting harshly against his arms.

Gentle fingers were carding through his hair. “That was great, Grian. You’re doing well. Imagine how good those eggs are gonna feel when they pass over your prostate - just the thought makes me jealous. Don’t you want that, hm?”

Shakily, Grian nodded again. He gathered his strength, and he started pushing once more.

It was slow going, more come escaping him with each strain of his muscles as he worked on pushing the eggs out. They felt bigger coming out than they had done when entering, even if Grian knew that was not the case. Cub’s comments of praise and promises of pleasure kept him going.

Finally, one of the eggs had made its way far enough out that it started passing over his prostate - and Grian froze.

He felt every nerve ending in his body being lit up, a wave of pleasure that felt too much like the endorphin rush of an orgasm, despite how Grian’s dick was still soft and spent between his legs, was enough to make him stop pushing— A shrill whine leaving his lips as his head snapped up, eyes unseeing.

“There we go, that’s it.”

Cub’s words drifted through the brightness and buzzing in Grian’s head, and he realised that as he’d stopped pushing, the egg had slid back inside him, just a bit. Tears of frustration were pooling up in his eyes, and with a grunt, Grian worked through his exhaustion as he pushed, moaning around a sob when the egg pressed over his prostate once more and sending spasms of aftershock through his limbs—

The egg landed softly in the water. And Grian cried.

Cub murmured, hand moving to softly caress Grian’s cheek. “I bet that felt real nice, huh?”

Grian whimpered, but nodded. He was boneless again, forehead resting on the cool edge of the pool. Raising it felt like it’d take a tremendous amount of effort that Grian really did not have to spare.

“You looked really pretty, just then.”

Grian’s eyes opened.

“Your voice sounds nice when crying out like that. Do you think you can show me one more time?”

Grian’s breath hitched. He really wasn’t sure if he could—

But Cub’s words were already making his gut tighten. Grian’s face felt warm, and as pleasure and exhaustion was making his legs tremble, he nodded.

“Good boy.”

Grian was crying out from the words alone, before he’d even started pushing.

Egg after egg was making its way out of him, and each pass of the orbs over his prostate made him lose his breath in between cries and screams and moans. Cub’s gentle hand on him, and the heated words of encouragement leaving the taller man’s lips were spurring Grian on, making him give it his all, just to keep hearing the muttered praises, the appreciation in Cub’s tone as each egg left Grian only growing stronger.

  
  
  


Grian didn’t know how much time, nor how many eggs, had passed, when Cub’s voice grew insisting. Grian distantly realised he’d been near passing out, having paid more attention to the other man’s tone, rather than his words.

“-Grian? Grian.”

Grian wheezed out a low sound in response.

“Ah, there you are. I think you got them all out. Are you ready for me to put you in bed?”

He couldn’t quite get his voice to work, but Grian still attempted to speak - lips forming the words, even as nothing but a breath left him. ‘Please,’ he mouthed. His eyes were closed, and the darkness was edging at more than his vision.

Arms were wrapping around him once more, and Grian could feel the chill in the air when he was pulled from the warm water, only to get pressed to a warm chest.

Grian was already drifting off when he was placed down on the sheets, the soft mattress feeling like laying on the most luxurious silks and feathered pillows. He was pretty much asleep when something hard and cold was pressed to his lips, and Grian startled back awake as his eyes snapped open, a question already waiting on his tongue—

“Potion of healing. Drink,” Cub’s voice responded, before Grian could even attempt to make a sound. Dutifully, Grian accepted the potion as Cub tilted the flask, pouring the pink, swirling liquid down Grian’s dry throat. Once the bottle was empty, Grian moaned softly as he felt the magic effect of the potion begin the work of knitting his body back together.

He asked, "Join me?" as his eyelids were slipping shut once more.

Cub’s answer was immediate. “Was already planning to, my friend.”

As he felt Cub’s warm arms wrap around him, Grian being pulled to the taller man’s chest once more, Cub’s gentle voice kept murmuring out the praises that left Grian feeling warm, soft, and safe.

Sleep didn’t so much claim him as it firmly embraced him, greeting him like an old friend as he fell into its arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites - Skrillex


	7. Break loose, tight grip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Stickier situation] Getting caught by slime or honey, and then fucked by a mob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, bonus! [Is this the end..?] Reaching climax more than 3 times in a single session.
> 
> More Cub, and then some slightly dubious consent bc mobfucking. You know how it be. All parties are having fun, but I still want to make sure everyone knows what they're getting themselves into XD

~ * ~

There was a heavy weight around him, a grounding, warm sort of embrace. Grian burrowed into it, humming contently as he slowly returned to wakefulness. The soft touch of lips pressed to his forehead briefly, and Grian sighed out, “‘Morning,” in response.

“Good morning, Grian. How are you feeling?” Cub responded, voice sounding slightly clouded with sleep, still.

Grian smiled, eyes still closed. “I feel really good. Like - _really_ good. The potion was a good idea, and last night was—”

Hazy memories of the tunnel, the feeling of blue eyes burning into him, the sensation of powerlessness, of _shame,_ how full he’d been, how _used—_

“It was amazing,” Grian finished, and he heard Cub chuckle in response.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I certainly did, too.”

Grian opened his eyes, before tilting his head to meet Cub’s eyes. The other man was smiling, eyes slightly hooded with sleep, and his expression was soft.

Grian felt his heart swell with affection for the other man - he’d given Grian exactly what he wanted, and so much more. He couldn’t help but want to show his gratitude in some way, and so he leaned up to press a soft, close-mouthed kiss to Cub’s lips.

Cub made a small sound of pleased surprise in the back of his throat, before returning the kiss, pressing his lips harder against Grian’s own.

Grian revelled in it for as long as it lasted, but he soon broke the kiss to whisper, “Cub - let me show you how grateful I am, yeah? Your services were top notch, as they always are, and I can’t help but feel like you deserve a tip after your _stellar_ performance.”

Cub chuckled, “You really took the words right out of my mouth. I’ll let you treat me, as long as you’ll accept some more gifts from me before you leave. How’s that sound?”

“Like a deal,” Grian smiled. Then, “Where did you put the lube? I feel like you should gain first hand experience with how my body is faring after yesterday. A… _thorough_ checkup, if you will.”

“—To make sure there aren’t any lasting damages, of course,” Cub nodded, playfully serious.

Grian snorted at that, before agreeing, “Of course. The lube?” He reminded.

“Ah, I keep another bottle by the bed. It’s proven useful, you know?”

Grian’s smile sharpened into a teasing smirk. “Oh, I’m sure.”

Cub didn’t take the bait, and he simply remained the eye contact as his smile stayed as neutral as ever. Grian’s expression softened in return. Grian said, “Well, get to it then. Or do you want me to stretch myself?”

“No,” Cub answered, already moving to stretch one hand over the edge of the bed to grab the lube, “I want to feel how well of a job the healing potion did, to see if there’s any difference from when I stretched you yesterday. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re more, ah - let’s say, _accommodating,_ than before. Did I ever tell you how many eggs there were in total?”

Cub’s last words were spoken in a lower pitch, voice almost a husky growl as his face returned close to Grian’s own, mouth brushing over the shell of his ear.

Grian shivered, and felt a slow wave of heat run through him. No physical touches had happened yet except for the soft kiss, but he was already growing hard from Cub’s words alone. The man really did have a silver tongue.

“You,” Grian said, licking his lips. “You didn’t say.”

“Oho,” Cub said, and Grian could hear the smile in his voice, cheeks brushing against one another’s at the proximity— “You took a total of sixteen spider eggs.”  
  
 _Heat_ surged through Grian’s body, and his hips stuttered as he pressed his groin against the mattress. He let out a small moan. Sixteen of the things? That was… a lot. Gods.

Cub continued. “I must say, I’m impressed. The last hermit that paid for my services enderpearled out after six. The biggest batch anyone’s taken so far this season, to my knowledge, was twelve.”

Grian shuddered, and he squirmed until he was laying more fully on top of Cub’s relaxed frame, rather than side by side. Warm palms settled on Grian’s hips, rubbing the naked skin there soothingly.

Grian was panting softly, dragging his dick against Cub’s skin as the other man’s words washed over him.

“So as I said - I wouldn’t be surprised if your body still bears traces of last night’s batch, despite the healing potion. I’m eager to find out.”

Grian whined when a dry finger slid between his asscheeks and started circling his hole, causing the muscles there to twitch. He wasn’t sore - the potion had taken care of that - but the skin was still sensitive—

“And after you find out,” Grian said, voice trembling slightly as Cub continued his ministrations, “are you gonna fuck me?”

Cub hummed thoughtfully. “Do you want me to?”

“Fuck yeah, I do.”

Warm lips pressed to Grian’s forehead, and he tilted his head up in response to recapture Cub’s lips. Once they parted, Cub said, “Then that’s what I will do.”

Cub’s finger slowly pressed in, still dry, just past the first knuckle. Grian cried out at the friction of it, not painful but uncomfortable and _hot,_ making him squirm on top of the taller man. “Oh, _fuck—”_

Cub shushed him, and continued pressing the finger inwards at a slow, steady pace. “I’m just testing your resistance, mister Grian. Please try and compose yourself, at least until I start fingering you proper.”

The words were like a stab of a red-hot blade, straight to Grian’s gut. He bit his lip until the flesh was screaming at him to let up the pressure, he was so desperate to keep the embarrassing cry from escaping his throat, locked behind his clenched teeth.

“There’s a good boy,” Cub praised. Grian did whine, then, dick giving a spurt of precome against Cub’s hip at the combined heat from the words and the raw, torturous, _incredible_ feeling of Cub’s finger inside him.

Slowly, the finger pulled back out, leaving Grian gasping and trembling, spread out on top of the taller man. He heard the bottle cap pop open, and the slick sounds of lube being squeezed out, and then, two wet fingers were caressing the rim of his hole before pressing in without waiting for Grian to catch his breath.

Grian moaned, low in his chest. The slick warmth felt so good, and it soothed the scalding heat from before, Cub’s fingers sliding in and dragging over sensitive spots that made Grian’s fingers twitch against the mattress - and then Cub’s knuckles were touching his skin, letting Grian know the taller man were as deep as he could go.

“My oh my. You did take that easier than yesterday. Makes me wonder…”

Grian blinked and looked at Cub through his eyelashes. He could feel that his skin was flushed, the heat in his face telling, but Cub fared no better, despite his steady tone of voice.

The fingers slid back out, and a third one joined them when they pressed back in. Grian groaned in appreciation, and Cub used his unoccupied hand to grab just beneath one of Grian’s buttcheeks, and when he tugged Grian upwards, the smaller man moved willingly, eager to go with whichever ideas Cub was having.

Cub pet Grian’s butt a few times when he deemed the new position good enough, and Grian settled back down - his head was now above Cub’s, and Grian’s dick was pressing to the taller man’s stomach.

Grian realised why Cub had wanted Grian where he was when the taller man pressed a soft, open-mouthed kiss to one of Grian’s nipples. It wasn’t a spot where he was particularly sensitive, so he didn’t react much to the touch - but it didn’t seem like Cub minded.

The fingers inside Grian spread apart, and that _did_ pull a reaction out of him. He squirmed on top of the taller man, gasping softly as he let his head droop to the mattress above where Cub’s was resting.

Unlike the night before, Cub didn’t seem to feel like dragging things on, and he pulled his fingers back out, still spread, and slipped in a fourth past the ring of muscles before pushing in _deep._

Grian keened at the feeling, the pressure against his prostate all the more noticeable as Cub pressed against it, and tingles were spreading throughout Grian’s limbs, hips twitching as he made small, needy sounds, muffled against the fabric of the mattress.

“Still remember the safeword?” Cub murmured, voice slightly muffled around Grian’s chest.

Grian trembled as he felt the vibrations of the other man’s voice against his skin, but he nodded, saying, “Yeah?” The question in his voice was obvious, but he trusted Cub enough to not feel the need to state his confusion outright. If he didn’t like whatever it was Cub was planning, he’d just—

Cub’s thumb was dragging over his rim, running along the way his skin was stretched around the four fingers inside him.

His mind went blank long before the thumb started pressing in, joining the other fingers that were curling to accommodate it, Grian’s breath catching before letting out an embarrassingly loud whine.

He hadn’t felt any discomfort until this point - except when Cub’s finger was still dry - but now he felt the stretch. Oh, gods, did he feel it.

Grian felt his muscles being tested, pulled almost to the limit of what they could take - and the further in the thumb slipped, the wider the stretch was. Tears were springing up in his eyes, and his mouth was gaping, drool running past his lips and making the mattress grow damp under his face.

The first knuckle of Cub’s thumb pressed inside him - and Grian came, soundless, as he grew rigid on top of the taller man.

The waves of pleasure making their way through him didn’t originate from his dick at all. It was all centered around the fingers working him open, walls fluttering against the digits and making the stretch worse, but also oh-so-much _better._

“Look at that. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” Cub praised, words settling deep in Grian’s gut and making his dick spurt out even more come, both of their skins growing sticky with it as it smeared between them at the lack of space between Grian’s dick and Cub’s stomach.

Cub had stopped moving when Grian was coming, but by the time the contractions of Grian’s muscles had slowed down, Cub kept pressing his fingers inwards, the squeeze being made easier by the way Grian was now relaxing around him, boneless after his orgasm.

The full feeling made the pleasure drag on and on, but Cub finally stopped when the widest part of his hand was pressing against the outside of Grian’s hole. For a moment, Grian wondered if Cub was going to go for it - to try and fit his entire hand inside - but instead, Cub hummed appreciatively before dragging his fingers all the way out, leaving Grian squirming and his hole clenching around nothing.

“C-Cub,” Grian said, stuttering and sounding wrecked, even to his own ears. “Please, please, I—”

An arm wrapped around Grian’s midsection, squeezing him tightly against the other man. “Shh, beautiful, I got you.”

With a small grunt, Cub wrestled the two of them around, flipping their position on the bed. Grian found himself on his back, and Cub quickly moved himself up the bed until his hips were lined up between Grian’s spread legs.

“Oh, please, _yes,”_ Grian moaned, _begged,_ and he didn’t even care if he sounded desperate - he _was._ Nevermind the fact that he’d just come, that he wasn’t hard again. He _needed_ Cub inside him, and if he didn’t get it, he didn’t know what he would do—

Cub remained silent, but Grian’s breath hitched when he saw Cub’s fingers - still wet with lube - wrapping around the man’s dick, hard and flushed and beaded with precome.

Cub lined himself up, and Grian felt the head of Cub’s dick nudge against his hole. Grian twitched in response, mouth already opening to beg, to _plead_ for it—

In the end, he didn’t have to, didn’t _need_ to, as Cub pressed in. He was as wide as Grian remembered, but after being stretched out so good on the taller man’s fingers, there was not even a twinge of discomfort. Only heat and slick, delicious friction that quickly moved into the territory of _too much_ and _too fast,_ as Cub pressed into his prostate with a bit too much accuracy, so soon after Grian had come.

“Ow, ow, move, _move please—”_

Cub groaned, and his hips slammed against Grian’s ass, shoving in the rest of the way. Grian’s vision went white. He _screamed._

And Cub didn’t stop, didn’t settle with just pushing in and waiting for Grian to get used to him. No, Cub immediately set a quick, hard pace, a pace that made Grian writhe on the bed, voice crying out a mixture of moans and yells, pleading and cursing out the taller man as the stimulation made him feel like he was flying, like he was burning, like he was dying and coming and getting ripped apart limb by limb.

In between grunts and moans of pleasure, Cub panted out, “Too much?”

Grian was halfway out of his mind, spasming and twitching on the bed as his fingers clenched the sheets so hard that he feared they would rip any second, but he still managed to groan out, “It’s fine, I need it, please - keep going, _please_ _—”_

Cub’s rhythm stuttered, but he quickly picked right back up again, 

Every thrust made sharp aftershocks burst inside Grian’s body, brightness overwhelming him as it lit up behind his closed eyelids. His breathing was laboured, and still - he was bucking up _into_ the feeling, mindlessly seeking to draw it out, pressing his body closer to Cub’s.

Cub was steadily growing louder above him, harsh breaths hitting Grian’s face, but he could barely hear the taller man’s sounds over the noise of blood rushing in his own ears.

Cub’s hips slammed against Grian’s ass and the backs of his thighs one more time, and the taller man froze, letting out a loud, drawn out moan as he spilled inside, leaving Grian to twitch from the shocks of electricity and stimuli wrecking through his muscles and joints, making his very skin feel like it was buzzing, warm and uncomfortable.

When Cub pulled back out, Grian whined, and he felt Cub’s come drip out of him, making the sheets grow sticky and damp.

As the overstimulation slowed into something less intense within him, something more muted, easier to ignore - Grian found he was half hard.

Cub took a deep breath before speaking, voice sounding slightly raspy. “Do you want me to take care of that for you?”

“No, thank you. I think if I tried to go again right now, I’d just—” Grian swallowed, “—just become overwhelmed, again. And I wanted to do some resource gathering today, so that’d be a big delay in my plans.” Then, Grian smiled, feeling tired but _good._ “Thank you, though. I mean it.”

Cub returned his smile, and he raised one hand to push Grian’s hair away from his sweaty forehead, before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to the damp skin.

“Any time, yeah? Feel free to use the pool again to clean up before you go - I’ll have clean clothes and the meal I promised you, as well as some smaller gifts ready for you in the next room for when you leave. Sound good?”

Grian hummed, and stretched on the bed when Cub got up, pulling his pants back on beside the bed.

He said, “That sounds heavenly, Cub, thank you.”

Cub took a small, mocking half bow. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, mister Grian.”

“Likewise, mister Cub,” Grian replied, causing Cub to send a wink his way before the taller man left the room, closing the door softly behind him. And then, Grian was alone.

He breathed, and stayed on the bed for a few more minutes, just revelling in the way his body was feeling, relaxed and content.

Grian really did have plans for the day, though, and so he got out of the bed, wincing when he felt the by-now lukewarm come slide down his thighs. He made his way over to the pool, getting into the water with a hum as he started wiping the sweat and fluids off of himself.

After getting rid of the come and lube that had been on the back of his thighs, Grian relaxed his back against the wall. He let his hand move beneath the water, fingers trailing over his skin as he thought about Cub’s words, what he’d said about Grian being looser, now. Grian let his eyelids slip shut, and he reached down and dipped two fingers inside himself, half to sate his own curiosity, half to make sure he got all the come out of him before getting dressed.

He made sure not to go too deep, not ready to get overwhelmed again in case he moved too close to his prostate, but even still - Grian realised that Cub was right. It might just be from the way Cub had stretched him out, but—

Grian hummed, and finished cleaning up. That would surely open up more opportunities with other mobs (and certain hermits) in the future. For right now, though, Grian was content with leaving things where they were at.

When Grian left the room, he found that Cub had indeed folded Grian’s freshly cleaned clothes and placed them tidily on top of a chest. Cub himself was nowhere to be seen, but as Grian started getting dressed, he figured Cub was probably busy working on his own projects.

In the chest, Grian was happily surprised to find the aforementioned gifts Cub had left for him - some golden carrots, a diamond shovel, as well as some more bottles of honey. Grian smiled, and he crafted the bottles into honey blocks before putting them away.

Grian made his way out of the mineshaft, and once he stepped into the bright sun shining down on the mesa, he started munching on one of the golden carrots as he started walking towards where he’d left his boat. He pulled out his communicator as he walked, probably paying less attention to his feet than he should, but Grian didn’t care.

There had been some general messages throughout the night, but Grian quickly scrolled through until he got to the messages he’d been looking for.

_Grian has made the achievement [Parrots and the bats II]_

He grinned around his mouthful, almost choking on it when he read the hermits’ responses.

_ <MumboJumbo> ...why am I not surprised? _

_ <Zedaph> eggs! _

_ <ZombieCleo> aww :( _

_ <ZombieCleo> I wanted to be there for that one _

_ <Xisuma> someone is having fun! :D _

_ <Docm77> not me _

_ <Docm77> i cant believe hes getting them done this quickly _

Grian blinked at the screen when he saw Cub’s name, and Grian realised he must’ve been messaging while Grian had been… busy.

_ <Cubfan135> He’s very determined, doc :) _

_ <Docm77> i know _

_ <Docm77> but still _

_ <Cubfan135> Very pretty, too _

_ <Cubfan135> Damn, but he’s taking a lot of them _

_ <Docm77> ... _

_Grian has made the achievement [Is this the end..?]_

Grian burst out laughing at that - he hadn’t realised he’d gotten _two_ achievements the previous night. He looked at the scoreboard, and sure enough - Grian had a total of six achievements. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that fact, either.

_ <Docm77> oh screw him _

_ <Cubfan135> The spiders are already doing that! _

_ <BdoubleO100> I would like to let you all know that Doc is currently pacing and pouting at his base <3 _

Grian typed out a quick message, before putting his communicator away. He could see his boat on the beach, where he’d left it.

_ <Grian> what can i say? i’m good at grinding ;D _

Grian walked to the boat, and placed it back on the water before climbing in. As he rowed, he passed the island where the season’s shopping district was going to be - and to his excitement, it seemed like the first shop was already up and running.

He cursed the fact that he didn’t have any diamonds to spend, still, and he swore to himself that he’d be back to check the store out sometime soon. For now, he had some grinding and resource gathering to take care of.

After making his way to his hobbit hole and depositing most of his things (gods, but he wanted a shulker box soon), Grian grabbed his mining tools and started working on his branch mine.

Other than having a few close calls with pools of lava, it was a pretty uneventful - and also a very rewarding - mining session. Once again, Grian was cursing the lack of shulker boxes, with all the repeated trips back and forth to empty his inventory, but he was getting some serious diamonds from it, so he was dealing with it.

He was just thinking of ending the session after his last iron pickaxe broke, but in his hurry to return back to his base with all the goodies he was carrying on him, Grian didn’t see the skeleton at the edge of the ravine he’d built a bridge through until it’d shot him, making him stumble off of the ledge and into the bottom of the pit.

Due to how far down he’d already been while digging, luckily, the fall wasn’t long. It was still enough to _hurt,_ enough to leave him dazed and out of breath for a few moments in the darkness as he stared up into the top of the ravine.

Grian didn’t have long to recover from the fall, though, as the squishy sound of slime could be heard from somewhere in the ravine, from somewhere out of sight. He hadn’t noticed it immediately from the way his ears were ringing, but once it registered with him, Grian scrambled to his hands and knees, trying to push himself up.

A sudden impact sent him back to the ground as it slammed into his back, and had he had the space to, Grian would have groaned. The heavy weight was still pressing him down, forcing the air out from his lungs for the second time, making him feel dizzy and sore.

The thing that had crashed into him stayed put, and Grian wheezed, trying desperately to buck the thing off, and then he felt it. It was like the thing was almost _melting,_ growing pliant above him as it molded to his shape. Grian realised only one mob behaved like that, and so it had to be the slime he’d heard before that had dropped down on him. It must have been bouncing around in a cave, somewhere, or maybe on one of the ledges far above him before it’d jumped down on him.

No matter where it had come from though, the fact remained that Grian was stuck.

As the slime enveloped him further, Grian grew slightly panicked - was it going to cover his face, too? Would he suffocate on the damned thing? He—

He felt thick tendrils slide in between the hems of his clothes, brushing over his bare skin. And Grian let out a startled laugh that came out as more of a wheeze, seeing as he was still being held down by the heavy weight of the slime, pressing down on his back. He’d been planning to just ask if one of the hermits had a slime farm he could use, but this was as good of a way as any to keep working on his growing list of achievements, he supposed.

Grian relaxed beneath the slime as best as he could, letting it explore him as it enveloped every part of him but for his head, neck and one of his hands.

He shivered when more tendrils moved underneath the layers of his clothes, the limbs moving almost fluidly, thick and rippling when parts of it were not moving with a _purpose,_ like it was now.

Slowly, the slime lifted him up - Grian barely even noticed it at first, seeing as the pressure around him remained unchanged, but once his uncovered hand was no longer touching the ground, Grian realised the slime was pulling him in, closer to its centre.

As the pressure around him writhed and moved, Grian couldn’t help but enjoy it - the way it made sparks of heat shoot off behind his skin, his dick slowly hardening as the slime covered it.

Then, one of the tendrils pressed between the cheeks of his ass, and it immediately started petting around the sensitive skin there, prodding at the rim of his hole. Grian hung his head as he moaned, the sound of it loud and echoing back at him from the faraway walls of the ravine.

It shoved _in—_

The tendril was thinner at the tip, but it quickly widened as it pulsated inside of him, pressing deeper. Grian cried out at the sudden feeling of being filled, at the width of it. The fluid nature of the slime made it feel like he wasn’t being fucked at all, just stuffed so _full_ \- there was no friction, just the stretch.

Grian tried to squirm, mindless as the slime kept going deeper and deeper, _reaching_ inside of him—

He was so _full._

The tight squeeze around his dick felt incredible, and Grian was so hot, the slime around him felt like a hug, like restraint, like warmth and heat and everything terrible and _good._ He realised with a wave of arousal that he truly _was_ helpless, right then - there was no hermit around to see him, or to help him, should the need arise.

Gods, but it made him ache, dick throbbing and the slime inside him growing wider, still.

After some time spent in mindless pleasure, the stretch started growing uncomfortable. Grian’s head hung limply as he whined at the realisation that he would probably not be able to come from the stretch alone - the way the slime was… well, not exactly fucking him, but something close to it—

It felt amazing, but the stimulation was all _static._ Each sensation was not from movement, no thrusting or sliding - the slime was just _filling_ him.

The slime pressed in just a little bit deeper, and Grian winced - or, he would have if the mob would allow him to _move_ \- as it hit a sensitive spot inside him, causing a sharp ache to spread out at the pressure. Gods, but how much longer was this going to drag on?

He grumbled, “Either… _ow,_ either let me go or let me come, stupid slime.”

The slime, unsurprisingly, did neither of those things. What it did do was start moving Grian around inside it once more, and Grian moaned softly at the change, feeling the slime move around him and drag over his skin as it went.

Then, Grian felt the slime begin pulling out of him. He sobbed, harshly, as it left behind a deep ache, an empty feeling that felt so off, so terrible - his muscles were clenching down on the retreating slime, trying to grip it, to keep it inside. The slime was mindless to Grian’s growing desperation, and as it left Grian empty, the man felt frustrated tears spring up in his eyes, dripping to the ground beneath him.

He was so _hard._ Now, he had nothing - and the damned slime _still_ wasn’t letting him go—

Grian gasped as he felt cool air hit the skin of his ass. One of his legs followed soon after, and it was left awkwardly bent at the knee, half kneeling on the floor of the ravine as Grian tried (and failed) to gain some sort of control over his situation. It was only when his bare calf touched the cold ground that Grian realised he was naked.

Damned slime and their sneaky ways.

Grian almost sobbed when the slime stopped moving him, leaving him in an awkward position - no leverage, no stimulation, no way of getting to come. The slime had repositioned him so only Grian’s face was poking out on one side of the slime, and his ass and one of his legs sticking out on the other.

The slime was covering his ears, now, and the world grew muted as it filled his ears. Grian was trembling for being edged for so long, and the slime was warm - warm enough that the shock of cold air on his newly exposed skin made goosebumps spread over his freed thigh.

Grian was about to give up and try to take a nap - obviously, the slime was not planning on letting him come anytime soon, and with his hands being unavailable, Grian couldn’t even grab a weapon or his communicator to ask for help - and then something touched his leg.

He froze. He hadn’t been able to hear whatever it was as it approached him, due to the slime covering his ears. Grian’s breath hitched when the touch returned, something warm and rough bumping against his ankle. Oh gods. What was it this time?

Grian felt the creature move along his leg, something with the same rough texture as before slowly trailing up the inside of his leg, moving up to the swell of Grian’s ass.

He moaned - every single touch felt like heaven, making his skin sing as he trembled, feeling weak and dizzy with it. He didn’t even know what the creature _was,_ and yet—

He felt the body of whatever it was press up close against him, two limbs - legs? - raising up to wrap around Grian’s hips - and Grian realised what the creature was.

A creeper. Of course it would be a creeper.

As the creeper pulled itself closer to him by the legs wrapped around Grian’s hips, Grian mused that at least it hadn’t exploded him on sight. Maybe because it hadn’t been able to see his face from where it was - Grian didn’t know, and right now, he didn’t care.

He just wanted to come.

The creeper thrust against him, and Grian moaned weakly at the rough texture of its skin moving against his own sensitive flesh. He could feel the creeper’s dick starting to poke out, the pointy tip of it jabbing against him, hitting one of Grian’s asscheeks.

Grian keened, and tried to wriggle as best as he could to guide the creeper inside, to make the awkward position easier—

On the next thrust, the creeper hit home. Grian cried out, eyes squeezing shut as he felt the incredible heat of the creeper’s dick enter him. The slime had stretched Grian out really good, and he was already close - the creeper tightened its hold on him, and started thrusting so frantically that it was more of a rutting motion, quick, hurried thrusts that made Grian _scream._

Yes, _yes,_ it was so good, it was perfect, it was enough to bring Grian right back to the edge where the slime had left him dangling before—

The creeper’s dick started to swell within him, expanding at the base and making Grian sob. Each thrust inside him became rougher and rougher as the creeper’s knot expanded, the mob fucking it inside of him and making Grian lose his mind with it.

The knot kept swelling, and at one particularly hard thrust, Grian’s eyes opened, going wide-eyed as he stared blindly into the ravine, mouth gaping - as his orgasm hit him with a devastating force.

It was so intense, the molten heat inside him being spun into a scalding coil that wrapped around his insides, connecting every point of pleasure into one. His dick twitched as he came, and he could feel himself tightening around the creeper, his walls fluttering around the dick and clinging around the knot.

The creeper kept fucking him through it, and by the time Grian’s orgasm had mellowed out to only faint aftershocks, the mob had stopped moving.

Grian still couldn’t hear anything, and he was unable to turn his head to look behind himself, but basing on the fact that the knot had stopped swelling, leaving Grian wonderfully filled and _stretched out_ \- he guessed that the creeper was done.

Now all he needed to do was wait for the knot to deflate, and after that - for the slime to grow tired of him and let him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Six Shooter - Coyote Kisses


	8. Good as gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Nice decoration] Be suspended off of the ground for 1 hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Etho, Beef, and some nice shibari bondage.

~ * ~

Once the creeper had left, it still took a good long while for the slime to release him, much to Grian’s frustration. At least it spit out his clothes after leaving him, naked and shivering on the cold stone floor of the ravine.

Grian could still see eyes shining in the darkness, and so he got dressed as quick as he could, before using some dirt as scaffolding to get back up to the bridge he’d fallen down from before.

As he grumpily made his way back to his base, Grian’s mood only soured when he felt the creeper’s come leaking out of him, making his underwear grow sticky and uncomfortable. Actually, he felt sticky and uncomfortable in _general._ All over. He sighed, once he was safely back at his hobbit hole. At least he managed to keep his things.

He checked his communicator before doing much of anything else - and that did help his mood.

_Grian has made the achievement [Stickier situation]_

_ <Cubfan135> Oh my! Grian, did you put those honey bottles to use that fast? _

_ <Iskall85> Aw man, now i can’t sell him an access pass to my farm _

_ <FalseSymmetry> guys, look at the scoreboard! _

Grian quirked an eyebrow, but he dutifully looked at the rankings. Grian had seven. And Doc had eight. Huh, since when did Doc—

_Docm77 has made the achievement [It’s a deal]_

Ah. Since then.

_ <Renthedog> Ohoho! kinky ;) _

_ <FalseSymmetry> oops, nevermind. Doc is back in the lead _

_ <Docm77> And i will STAY in the lead. the GOAT never loses! _

_ <ImpulseSV> Hey Gri, which mob did you go for? :D _

It had been a while since that last message, but Grian still typed out his reply.

_ <Grian> hi everyone! _

_ <Grian> cub i didn’t even get the chance to :’( it was an actual slime _

_ <Grian> and it was a slime (duh) and also a creeper :) _

_ <BdoubleO100> WHAT?? _

_ <BdoubleO100> How do you even fuck a creeper??? _

_ <Docm77> you ask them nicely ;) _

Grian burst out laughing.

_ <Grian> ;) _

_ <ZombieCleo> ;) _

_ <Ethoslab> ;) _

_ <Xisuma> ;) _

_ <BdoubleO100> oh SCREW you guys! _

_ <Grian> did you ask nicely first? ;) _

As the chat deranged into chaos, Grian found himself to be in a much better mood. He truly loved all the hermits, and it was an incredible thing to think that he got to be a part of it all, to call them his friends and partners in crime.

Feeling motivated and with his spirits lifted, Grian cleaned himself up in the river, and got to work on expanding his hobbit hole, before going over and decorating the mess he’d made, turning it into something like a home.

Donning his new diamond armour, Grian placed down the last few blocks that made up his storage room. He wiped some sweat from his brow, and frowned when he turned around to look outside, at where the jungle could be seen through the large, rounded windows he’d made. It was getting late.

Grian really didn’t feel like having anymore sex that day. But he was already doing good on maintaining his streak—

A realisation hit him, and Grian opened his communicator to look at the list of achievements once more, scrolling down until he could hover his finger above the one he’d been looking for, reading the description.

_[Marathon] Spend the night in other hermits' beds for a streak of 31 days._

A relieved smile spread on Grian’s face when he realised that nowhere in the description did it say that sex needed to be a part of the arrangement - indeed, the other hermit wouldn’t have to be in their beds at all, only Grian needed to not be the owner of said bed.

He was texting Scar before he could think more of it.

_ <Grian> hi scar! are you still awake? _

He was smiling in excitement when he immediately saw Scar typing back.

_ <Goodtimewithscar> hello :D _

_ <Goodtimewithscar> yes, i was just planning to turn in for the night. i’m really tired, haha _

_ <Grian> oh good _

_ <Grian> sleepover? _

_ <Goodtimewithscar> ah, i think i am too tired for shenanigans tonight :0 _

Grian’s brow twitched, and he didn’t know if he felt amused or peeved that Scar immediately thought Grian would come over to ravish him - challenges or no challenges.

_ <Grian> NO _

_ <Grian> like, actually a sleepover _

_ <Grian> i miss my cuddlebuddy :’( _

_ <Goodtimewithscar> OH _

_ <Goodtimewithscar> :D _

_ <Goodtimewithscar> come right on over! <3 _

_ <Grian> :D _

Grian immediately left his tools and the rest of his resources behind, and he ran through the jungle towards Scar’s base, hoping to get there before the mobs could start spawning in the dwindling light.

When he burst out of the shrubbery and canopies of the jungle and into the clearing of Scar’s base, it was with another creeper hot on his trail, and Grian didn’t feel like being blown up _or_ being blowed another load into - he wheezed quietly to himself at that thought - and so he bolted up the ladder to Scar’s starter base as fast as he could.

Grian heard the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air, and so he didn’t wait for Scar to open the door for him before bursting in. Grian slammed the door shut behind himself, and slumped back against it as he panted.

“S-Scar?” Grian called out. He couldn’t see the other man anywhere on the base level, but—

“Up here, G! In the bedroom, come on up.”

Grian tilted his head back, following Scar’s voice, and he took a deep breath, feeling exhaustion settle into his body from the amount of strenuous activity he’d been doing that day. Now that the adrenaline was leaving him, Grian felt like he could sleep for a year.

“Coming,” he called back, before he started to climb up the ladder. His body felt so heavy, but when he finally made his way to the next floor, the sight of Scar already cuddled up in bed, looking soft and warm and pliant, was exactly what Grian needed to motivate him to actually get into the bed, too, and not just pass out on the floor.

“Hi there,” Scar said, smiling softly at him with half lidded eyes.

“Hey,” Grian whispered back, as he started removing his armour.

Scar hummed, and the sound quickly turned into a yawn that made Grian yawn, too. The two of them giggled sleepily at each other.

“I see I’m not the only one who’s tired,” Scar said, eyes slowly tracing Grian’s frame as the smaller man undressed.

Grian smiled, and shook his head. “No, you’re not. I just really wanted to… I guess, not be alone right now?” Grian hesitated, having stripped down to only his pants and boots, now. “Is… was that okay?”

“Of course it was, G, you know I love you. _And_ your cuddles,” Scar chuckled, and he scooted backwards on the bed, making room for Grian in front of him. “You wanna be my little spoon?”

Grian sighed softly. “Yes please,” he said as he kicked off his shoes, before letting his pants drop to the floor, leaving him only in his boxers. He kneeled onto the bed, and he turned his back to Scar as he laid down.

A warm arm settled around his waist, drawing Grian closer to Scar’s chest, and he made a small sound in the back of his throat at the nice feeling. It felt good. Safe. Warm.

“I’m—” Scar broke off with a yawn, “I’m sorry I’m not able to talk much right now. I’m just so tired.”

Grian scooted back until the back of his knees hit Scar’s legs, and the two of them were flush together from their knees to their shoulders. Scar moaned happily, and burrowed his nose into the nape of Grian’s neck.

Grian sighed, “It’s - it’s fine, Scar, don’t worry. I’m gonna sleep as well, okay?”

“Mm. Goodnight, G.”

“Night, Scar.”

  
  
  


Grian woke up feeling incredible. Warm, calm, well rested. It really had been a good idea to seek Scar out - and as the two of them had breakfast together, giggling and laughing over tea and bread as they sat on the small balcony outside of Larry the snail, feet dangling over the edge—

Well. Grian felt ready and excited for where the day would lead.

Scar waved him goodbye after Grian had pressed a soft kiss to the taller man’s cheek, in thanks for letting him stay the night. Grian had forgotten to bring a boat, so he quickly broke down a small tree at the edge of the water to throw together a crafting bench and some planks, and soon he was rowing in his brand new jungle plank boat.

Reading the chat logs from the day before had reminded Grian of something important, something that had somewhat slipped to the back of his mind in the past few days.

Etho had sent a message, when they had all been teasing Bdubs, and Grian remembered that there were several new (or, well… new to _him)_ hermits this season. The most he’d interacted with them was through the group chat, and that simply would not do.

Grian was pretty sure he’d remembered seeing a beach town pop up along the shore somewhere, and if he remembered the maps correctly - the area should belong to Beef.

That was his first stop for the day.

When the colourful umbrellas and lounge chairs came into view, Grian could already spot a person walking around on the beach. Perfect.

But the closer Grian got, the more he started to doubt that the hermit in question was, infact, Beef. Grian had seen the man’s picture, before, but the man on the beach looked completely different.

As Grian’s boat hit the shore and he made his way out onto the sand, the hermit turned to look at him. As Grian met the man’s mismatched red and black eyes, he finally recognised him to be Etho.

Grian waved at him. “Hi there! Etho, was it?”

Etho’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and though his mouth was covered, Grian could tell the taller man was smiling. “That I am, my fellow prankster! Boy, has Doc told me a lot about you. Grian, eh?”

Grian’s smile turned sharper at the corners as his eyes filled with mischievous glee. “That’s me, alright. What are you up to? I thought this was Beef’s base.”

“Oh, it is. I was trying to think of a way to prank him, you see.”

“Etho!” Grian exclaimed, bouncing on his feet in excitement. “You gotta let me help. I love pranks, please please—”

Etho laughed at Grian’s enthusiasm, but he walked over and slipped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders as he turned the two of them around to start walking up towards the edge of the forest, away from the beach.

“Why, of course! It’s always good to make new friends while bonding over a common goal.”

As they walked, Etho’s arm still slung over Grian’s shoulder, Grian could see the beginnings of a larger structure at the edge of the forest, where the two of them were heading. “Is Beef already working on his main base?” He asked, shooting a glance up at the white-haired man.

“Indeed he is,” Etho said, voice friendly. “Beef is very hardworking, and he’s even completed a few rooms - and I wanted to help him out by making a small… addition, if you will.” Grian smiled, liking the sound of that. Etho continued, “But alas, I was struggling to think of the perfect thing to add… but now that you’re here, I think I have an idea that could work out in everyone’s favour.”

“Oh?” Grian said, feeling intrigued.

“Well,” Etho said, the tone of his voice still so casual and light, “If you’d be up for it, I would love to tie you up and leave you suspended from the ceiling for him to find when he comes back.”

Grian choked on his own spit.

Etho patted him on the back as Grian coughed, trying to regain control of his breathing. Grian’s eyes were watering when he glared up at Etho, who was laughing at him.

“Sorry, sorry, it was too good of an opportunity to miss. Oh, you should’ve seen your face!” Etho giggled, and the man faked wiping a tear from his eye.

Grian smirked through his blush, and he said in as steady of a voice as he could manage. “Oh no, by all means - I’m down if you are.”

Etho went quiet.

Grian revelled in it, in the way Etho was meeting his eyes, looking surprised, and… slightly flustered. Heh.

“You… really?”

Grian resumed walking towards the building Beef had started constructing. “Yep,” he replied, popping his lips on the ‘p’. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

“Well, damn. This is my lucky day,” Etho said, voice dropping into a low growl that made shivers run down Grian’s spine. He heard the sound of footsteps resuming behind him.

Grian was practically bouncing in his step by the time the two of them made their way through the grand entrance - only to be met with a gaping hole on the other side. Huh.

“This way,” Etho said from Grian’s left side, and he turned - and _that_ must have been the completed room Etho had been referring to, before. It was beautiful, the pattern on the floor and the neat rows of chests, lit up by lanterns hanging from the ceiling and pillars on the walls making the entire room seem wealthy. Rich with details and resources.

Grian’s smile widened. “Oh, I love this.”

Etho nodded as he stepped up beside Grian. “I know, right? He’s been working so hard.”

Grian looked up at the taller man. “So. What are you thinking? We should probably discuss some things before you tie me up and leave me to your…?”

“Boyfriend,” Etho filled in, but then he was nodding again. “And yes, you’re right. You haven’t met him before, have you?”

“No,” Grian said, and he walked over to the double chest sitting on the windowsill. He tried to jump up to sit on top of it, but giggled when he found it was higher up than it looked. “Oh, wow,” he laughed, before ungracefully scrambling on top of the chest, letting his legs dangle off of the edge, facing Etho once more.

Etho decided to stay leaning against the wall, having apparently known about the lack of proper seating arrangements already. “Yeah, he’s been working on the resources to make an actual meeting room,” he said, chuckling softly as he shook his head.

“So,” Grian said once he’d stopped laughing.

“So,” Etho repeated, looking at Grian expectantly.

The first thing that came to Grian’s mind was, “We’re going to need a safeword.”

“Yes. Are you familiar with the colour signals?” Etho replied, quirking one eyebrow.

Grian nodded. “I am. Green is keep going, yellow is slow down and check in, red is stop everything right now. Same for you both?”

“Ah, we’re used to yellow being _stop_ and check in, but we can go with your definition. I’ll let Beef know when he arrives.”

Grian smiled. “Okay, good. Just to let you know, I have an easier time going into subspace when there is pain involved - but it’s not a necessity. Shame and humiliation sometimes also does the trick. And, um, if it’s okay to ask - which kinds of doms are you guys usually?”

Etho cocked his head to the side, considering the question. “I’m mainly a rigger, while Beef is a service top and carer through and through.”

“Okay, yeah, I can roll with that. That would mean a really controlled scene, right?”

Etho nodded.

“Then, it’s very much likely that I’ll react by being more in my head, at least in the beginning. So, uh, what did you have in mind for this? I want details, if that’s okay with you, both so I can prepare myself, but also so I can prepare you.”

Etho’s eyes were crinkling at the corners again. “Of course. I was thinking of undressing you, preparing you and placing a plug or another sort of toy in you, and then tying you up - shibari style, if you’re familiar with it - and having you suspended from the ceiling.” Grian nodded, gesturing for Etho to continue. “And then, I’ll send Beef a message, and once he’s here, he’ll get to choose which way he wants you. Your mouth, or your ass. How does that sound to you?”

“Pretty good, those are all things I could get behind,” Grian said, thinking it over. “But… I would also want you in on this, somehow, if that’s okay - maybe you could take me the way Beef ends up not choosing? And, uh. I think I’d rather you tie me up _before_ you stretch me out, please. I just… find it hotter, that way.”

Etho’s eyes were gentle when Grian met them. Gentle, but also filled with _heat._ “That sounds amazing. How are you with rough play? We wouldn’t want a lot of it today, anyway, but some spanking, choking, and general rough penetration—”

“I’m okay with all of that. If my mouth is full, I’ll pinch you once to stop, twice to let me speak. Okay?”

“That’s fine. Anything else you would want to add?”

Grian thought about it for a moment, expression considering as he let his eyes trail around the wonderfully decorated room. Then, it hit him.

“Oh, I know! Uh, just - praises and compliments, once I’m tied up, would be really nice. Talking _about_ me, rather than _to_ me is also really hot. Up to you, though.”

“I’m sure Beef will be more than happy to fulfill that particular wish,” Etho chuckled, bringing Grian’s attention back to the other man.

“Nice,” Grian said, and he couldn’t help but smile again as he felt butterflies of excitement and nerves starting to flutter around in his stomach. “Then… aftercare?”

Etho was nodding before Grian had even finished speaking. “Yes. What kind of aftercare will you need after a scene like this? Other than for the physical aches, I’ve got that part covered already.”

“I think, just… reassuring words, probably cuddling and spending some time together afterwards to let me know that you don’t just want me around for my body - which, I _do_ know, before you say anything - but the reassurance, in case I’m in a particular headspace afterwards, would still be good. Just - take care of me, after. Yeah? I might go silent for a bit, after we’re done, too, but it usually only lasts a few minutes.”

“That’s all things we’ll be happy to do,” Etho nodded, eyes still burning into Grian’s. “Anything else?”

Grian shook his head, “No. And for you?”

“Nope.”

Grian smiled, feeling the nervous fluttering in his stomach grow more intense. “At what time do you think he’ll be back?”

Etho stood up from the table, and Grian did the same, following the taller man’s lead. “Eh, a few hours or so. But he’ll come back immediately if I send him a message, so really - whenever you’re ready.”

Grian walked up to him, and he let his hands settle on Etho’s shoulders. He leaned up on his tippy toes, and paused when their noses touched, Etho’s fabric clad one feeling slightly ticklish against Grian’s. He whispered, “Can I kiss you?”

Etho let one hand settle on Grian’s hip, while the other one raised to his own face. Etho let his fingers slip beneath the hem of the fabric covering the lower part of his face, and he pulled it down until it was resting, bunched up around his neck. Etho then licked his lips, and answered, mirth in his tone, “We never actually discussed that, did we? Yes, Grian, you may.”

Grian hummed, “Good.”

And then their lips were meeting.

Etho was a slow kisser, Grian quickly found out. The hand not currently resting on Grian’s hip settled on the side of his neck, long fingers spreading out and dragging through the hair at the nape of his neck. Etho thumbed beneath Grian’s jaw, coaxing the smaller man into tilting his head further back as he deepened the kiss.

Grian moaned into it, around the soft tongue that licked at his lower lip until Grian’s own parted to let the other man inside.

Etho’s lips were ridiculously soft, and Grian found it easy to let the other man’s gentle but sure movements guide him, letting Etho set the pace, softly and firmly moving Grian’s body to where he wanted it.

It made the heat flurrying around in Grian’s body start gathering, pooling in his belly and making his dick begin to harden. When Etho backed Grian up against the wall, pressing one firm thigh in between Grian’s legs, _grinding_ against his dick, he couldn’t help but break away from the kiss to let his head fall back against the wall as a loud moan escaped him, hips twitching into the feeling.

“You really _are_ pretty,” Etho murmured, voice rumbling with how low his tone was. Grian trembled beneath him, letting the words wash over him. “You’re going to fit right in with all the other pretty things in here.”

A touch of Etho’s lips to his own, so faint that it was barely even there, and then Etho stepped away, out of Grian’s arms, leaving him leaning against the wall, panting softly.

Grian opened his eyes and met the other man’s gaze. “Strip,” Etho said, words demanding but his tone was kind. The red and black eyes were _burning_ as they took Grian in.

Grian’s breath hitched, but he let his gaze drop to his own hands as he started pulling the sweater off, before quickly moving on to his trousers and boots, leaving him in his boxers. His hands were trembling, but he had no doubt that Etho had meant for him to remove his clothes _completely,_ and so after only a few moments of hesitation, Grian pushed the final piece of fabric down his hips, letting the boxers pool down to the floor, joining the rest of his clothes.

Once Grian was bare, he trembled. He kept his eyes firmly to the ground, looking somewhere between Etho’s feet. Being naked before a man he’d never even met until an hour ago, while said man was still fully dressed, was—

Grian heard the sound of a chest being closed. Etho was humming, and he said, “Please stand in this spot, right here.” He accentuated the words with tapping his foot against the place he wanted Grian to go.

The smaller man did so, licking his suddenly dry lips as he walked, away from the somewhat comforting presence of having a wall behind him, onto this new spot where he was vulnerable from every side, situated in the middle of the room.

“Perfect. Thank you, doll.”

Grian’s breath hitched, and from where he was keeping his gaze locked firmly on the floor, he could see Etho’s feet beginning to circle around him, slow, controlled steps as Grian felt the taller man’s eyes burning into his skin, taking all of him in.

He startled slightly when Etho spoke again, the man stopping behind him.

“Hold your arms out for me, doll? I’ve picked out a rope that I think is going to look exquisite against your skin.”

Grian felt his gut tighten at the purring tone Etho’s voice had taken, and he raised his arms obediently, giving Etho access to wrap his arms - holding the rope - around Grian’s chest. A quick glance downwards told Grian that the rope was a bright golden colour, and he gasped softly, expecting the rope to be cold like the metal it was seemingly spun from.

At the first touch of the rope against his chest, Grian startled when he found that it was not metal at all. Though the colouring and sheen of the rope resembled the gold that decorated the very room they were in, the rope was, infact, soft and smooth to the touch.

Grian voiced his confusion. “What…”

Etho chuckled as he let the rope loop around Grian’s torso, before starting to repeat the motion, adding another loop over Grian’s chest. “It’s made of polyfin fibers. It’s just the colouring that makes it look so precious - precious enough to wrap up the gift I’m presenting to my lover. How does it feel?”

Grian shuddered as the loops around his torso tightened. Not uncomfortably so, no, not even in a way that felt constricting - it was just the idea of it, the very concept that the tightening ropes represented. He parted his lips, and whispered, “It feels good. Soft.”

Etho hummed pleasedly behind him. “Good. You can lower your arms, now.”

Grian did as he was told, and let his arms relax back down against his sides. He closed his eyes as Etho worked, focusing on the physical sensation of the soft ropes wrapping beneath his armpits, looping up around his shoulders, over his neck and down to join the rope wrapped around his chest. Etho placed a knot there, and the gentle bulk of it settled at the bottom of his sternum when the other man let it go, leaving the ends of the rope dangling down Grian’s front.

With a gentle tug, Grian’s arms were pulled behind his back, and when Etho asked him to hold them there, Grian did.

More and more loops of rope, wrapped around his arms, wrists, forearms, elbows and biceps, tying his arms together behind his back, more rope being added in between the loops connecting the two limbs together.

Etho worked quickly and with obvious practice behind each movement, and Grian felt the handing over of power and control that was taking place like a physical touch to his flushed skin.

“Spread your legs for me, doll. We’re almost done.”

Etho’s words were like silk, his smooth voice sliding down Grian’s back and leaving behind a trail of shivers that made him feel weak in the knees. He parted his legs as best as he could, despite how unsteady he was feeling. He was rewarded with the feeling of Etho’s slightly cold hand brushing over the swell of his ass, oh-so-softly, accompanied with a thoughtful hum from the taller man.

Grian moaned, breathlessly, and Etho leaned down and whispered, breath hitting the shell of Grian’s ear, “You’re going to be so perfect for me, huh, doll?”

Grian’s breath hitched, and he nodded, frantically, as Etho chuckled and stood back up again. “Good, very good. I might keep you, after this is said and done.”

Grian’s moan was louder, this time, and he felt his dick throb between his legs as he _ached._

Etho resumed his work on the rope, and he pulled one end of it down from the centre of Grian’s back, down between his spread legs, and as Etho stepped closer to Grian to lean down to grab the dangling rope between Grian’s legs, Grian felt himself grow even warmer, still, as Etho’s chest was pressing against where Grian’s arms were bound behind his back.

All too soon, Etho stepped away once more, rope in hand - leaving it looped around Grian’s right leg, digging into the cheek of his ass and continuing along the right side of his pelvis until it finally went up around his hip.

Etho intertwined the rope with the loops around Grian’s wrists, and then he repeated the pattern on Grian’s left leg. 

Then, Etho’s cold hands settled on Grian’s hips. Grian whined in response, a question at the tip of his tongue—

Then the hands slid _downwards,_ and Grian heard the sound of knees hitting the floor. Warm breath hit his ass, and it was all Grian could do to not let his legs buckle, to not join Etho in kneeling on the floor of Beef’s base. He waited, trembling with anticipation and _want_ \- but in the end, the only thing Etho did was reach between Grian’s legs to snatch up the untied ends of the rope that had been left hanging from the knot on his chest.

When he realised, Grian let out a sob, hanging his head as he felt his cheeks grow warm. Gods, but Etho somehow managed to make this all so _sensual—_

The ropes Etho had grabbed soon joined the last trails Etho had made, following the same path on each side of Grian’s pelvis, over the cheeks of his ass until they joined the ropes at his wrists. These ends weren’t tied there, though - instead, Etho let them extend up to Grian’s elbows, before starting to work on some intricate knot, there, different parts of the golden harness covering Grian’s body went taut and slack again during the process.

Etho took a step back, hands leaving Grian completely. The end result left him feeling exposed, _presented—_

“Only the finishing touches left, now, doll,” Etho whispered, and Grian keened.

Etho walked around him in a circle, once again, as he took in the sight of Grian as he now was - so hard that he was dripping, face flushed and mouth panting, half-lidded eyes and tied up with slick, golden ropes, legs parted and arms tied securely behind his back from wrist to shoulder.

Etho clapped his hands together, stopping at Grian’s front. “Wonderful! I knew that rope would suit you, doll. Only a few more additions and I think we’ll be done.”

Grian met Etho’s eyes, by now so lost in his own mindspace that he was already feeling dizzy with it. And it seemed like Etho could tell, because before he moved again, the taller man asked him, “Which colour, Grian?”

Grian panted softly, gathering himself back together enough to answer. “Green.”

A sweet smile spread upon Etho’s face. “I’m glad. Now, where were we—”

Etho was rummaging around in his inventory, and Grian didn’t really have the mind to even be curious what the other man was looking for. He was too focused on the way the ropes shifted and dragged over his skin with every minute movement, with each breath and twitch and the flick of a wrist.

“How do you feel about being blindfolded?”

That certainly brought Grian’s attention back to the other man, eyes snapping back into focus as he sought out Etho’s eyes.

“I—” Grian swallowed around how dry his mouth was feeling, the heat churning in him making it hard to speak. “I don’t mind it, as long as it doesn’t stay on while you two a-actually fuck me.”

Etho nodded in understanding. “Just for the foreplay and initial presentation, yeah?”

“Y-yeah,” Grian murmured, and his eyes followed Etho’s movements when the taller man reached up to the headband he was wearing. With deft fingers, the headband was removed, leaving Etho’s hair slightly messy.

When Etho reached up to put the headband on Grian’s head, the smaller man took a deep breath - but as the fabric slid over his face, he was surprised to find that it didn’t stop at his eyes. Instead, Etho kept pulling the headband down until it was laying around Grian’s neck. He shot another confused glance Etho’s way, to which the other man chuckled.

  
“Let’s get you settled in the air first, eh? I’m rather proud of my ropework, but you haven’t had the pleasure to see it in action before. I’m letting you keep all of your senses until I know you feel safe.”

Grian’s shoulders released some of the tension he’d unknowingly built up. “Thank you.”

Another soft smile was sent Grian’s way, and he found that Etho looked quite different, now that his head and face was bare from the fabrics usually covering it. The red and black eyes were suddenly the most prominent features on Etho’s face. It suited him, Grian mused.

Ropes of a different, wider kind were looped through the knots and loops gathered around Grian’s elbows. Grian had no way to see exactly what Etho was doing, but by the looks of it, the ropes had Etho had chosen had been solid and strong, and when Etho gave a few experimental tugs that made Grian’s toes lift from the ground, his weight was evenly distributed amongst the ropes enough that nothing pinched - though it wasn’t quite comfortable.

It was perfect.

Grian nodded at Etho when the taller man gestured to the high beams going across the ceiling of the room. The supporting ropes were untangled from the golden ones before Etho got to work.

Some scaffolding and solid-looking knots later, and multiple layers of the thicker ropes were hanging from one of the beams, placed near the very centre of the room so that they could avoid the walls and chests, leaving plenty of space to move around.

“Are you ready, doll? What’s your colour?”

Grian stepped closer to where the stronger ropes were hanging down, held still in Etho’s hands. Grian’s knees were still feeling weak and wobbly, but it was not from nerves - it was _excitement._ “Green. And I’m ready.”

Etho leaned down to press a soft kiss to Grian’s lips. He shivered against it, leaning slightly into the taller man—

Etho whispered against Grian’s lips, “Oh, we’re going to _enjoy_ you, doll.”

Grian gasped and felt heat surge through him, Etho’s voice making it feel like his blood had caught on fire as he strained against the ropes tying his arms back. He moaned when there was no leeway.

Etho laughed as he stepped around Grian’s back, once more pulling the supportive ropes through the loops of the harnessing ones. This time, when Etho pulled at one end of the rope and Grian’s feet left the polished floor, he didn’t come back down.

Grian was lifted until he was about half a metre in the air. The ropes were digging into his flesh, but it was a dull ache, rather than an active pain. When Etho fastened the ropes, leaving Grian dangling at his current height, Grian asked, “Isn’t this a bit too high up for what you have planned?”

Etho chuckled, “Yes - but it’s going to look more impressive when Beef first sees you. Besides - we want your feet off of the ground at all times, right?”

When Grian just blinked at him, Etho’s chuckles turned into laughter. “Don’t think I haven’t seen your little achievement hunting spree, doll. Even if you didn’t ask for it, I’m more than happy to help you out in that regard as well. This way, we’re kind of pranking Doc as well, aren’t we?”

Grian grinned weakly, as he slowly spun around, swaying slightly in his bindings. His legs were dangling beneath him, easily the least supported part of him - and Grian found that when his legs twitched or kicked out slightly, his whole body would swing around.

Etho’s laughter quieted down as he made his way over to Grian once more. “Are you ready for the blindfold, now?”

“Yes,” Grian said. There was a tremble to his voice, but his tone was sure.

As Etho reached to where the headband was still laying around Grian’s neck, slowly sliding it up his face, the last thing Grian saw before his world delved into darkness was Etho’s calm grin, a row of white teeth showing behind soft lips, and mismatched eyes glinting at him. “Oh doll… this is going to be so much fun.”

No longer able to rely on one of his main senses, Grian found that he was all the more acutely aware of the way the ropes were feeling on his skin. The soft footfalls of Etho’s steps on the polished floor beneath him, Grian’s own quiet breaths leaving his mouth—

He twitched when Etho’s hands returned to his skin, the cool touch being accompanied by the soothing smoothness of silk wrapping around his lower hips, winding around his lower body until the ends were made to meet just above the swell of his ass.

Grian blinked beneath the blindfold, and Etho answered his unspoken question as Grian wondered what this was about.

“You are a gift, and seeing as the ropes are going to stay on - well. I just think one of the most fun parts of getting a present is being able to unwrap it, you know?”

The sounds of Etho’s footsteps told Grian that the man was circling him once more, and then the hands returned to the small of his back, tying the ribbon together in a way that felt too delicate for it to be a true knot - maybe a bow of some kind?

Grian squirmed at the delicate touches, all of them unexpected and making his skin prickle.

“Now,” Etho whispered, and Grian gasped at hearing his voice surprisingly close to his own ear, “I just need to prepare you. Beef is a big man, if you didn’t know, though I’ve heard that you won’t have a problem with that.”

Grian let out a startled giggle, despite himself. “The hermits are all terrible gossips - but you’ve heard right. Does Beef like it tight? Or loose? Because I’m willing to let you just lube me up with no additional stretching if you think he’ll like it,” he panted out.

Etho moaned against Grian’s ear. “Oh doll… we’re _definitely_ going to want to keep you. Are you certain? I’m sure he would _love_ that, pushing into you and feeling you, wet and willing and _barely_ ready for him - such a small, pretty thing like you…”

_“Yes,”_ Grian gasped, feeling his dick throb as Etho spoke - it was almost like he could _feel_ the things the other man was describing—

The soft touch of lips against the shell of his ear pulled a startled moan out of Grian, unprepared for it as he had been.

Etho whispered, “Then it seems we have a plan.”

Grian trembled in his bindings when he heard the soft padding of Etho’s footsteps walking away. The sound stopped, and Grian could hear the sounds of chests opening, and then the pleased noise Etho made when he apparently found what he’d been looking for.

The footsteps could be heard once more, walking back towards Grian.

He heard the bottle of lube being opened, and the slick, wet noises of the liquid leaving the container. More wet sounds as Etho moved the lube around - most likely slicking up his fingers - and then a cool, dry hand settled on Grian’s elbow, causing him to twitch.

Etho used the fact that Grian was suspended above ground to his advantage as he used his grip on Grian to turn the smaller man around, rather than walking around to where Grian’s legs were hanging. The touch of Etho’s palm dragged down from his elbow to his side, and Grian chuckled a bit at the soft touch to some particularly ticklish spots.

The hand moved down to Grian’s hip, and finally it reached his ass. Grian moaned when he felt Etho spread him open further, just a bit—

And two fingers, slick with lube, pressed against the soft rim of his hole, making Grian cry out at the cool touch to the sensitive skin. Etho hummed again before pressing his fingers inside, going slick and steady and _deep._ Oh, how Grian loved it.

His body was experiencing a sensation not unlike the sparks spreading out from a firework, bursting in small waves of pleasure before spreading out, filling his limbs with heat and want.

Grian keened in the back of his throat when Etho worked a third finger inside of him, _twisting_ them almost cruelly inside him and making Grian gasp at the sensation - and then he was already pulling out, leaving Grian with just a taste.

His legs twitched when Etho stepped away.

“All done,” Etho said in a singsong voice. “Now it’s time to invite the man of the day, don’t you think? Colour?”

“Green,” Grian panted out, feeling disoriented with the way he could feel himself spinning around slowly, his hole clenching and trying to gain some kind of friction but only succeeding in making the lube squelch around uncomfortably.

“Excellent!” Etho said. “I’ll invite him over right away.”

The room delved into silence, only broken by the quiet tapping of Etho’s fingers on his communicator, and Grian’s own breathing. As he sharpened his hearing, trying to figure out what else was going on around him, trying to pass the time, Grian’s ears also picked up on the faint sound of birds chirping outside, the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees in the forest outside.

After what must have been a few more minutes, footsteps resumed. Grian turned his head towards the sound, and Etho said, “He’s on his way. I’m going to meet him outside and tell him the details and limits we discussed before, alright? Be right back, doll.”

Etho didn’t wait for Grian to reply, and only the sounds of fading footsteps broke through the anticipation building up in the darkness Grian was suspended in.

The sounds of faint voices talking outside.

The crunch of boots on coarse dirt, growing louder.

Two pairs of feet, the sounds of footfalls against the polished floor, approaching slowly.

_“Oh,”_ an unfamiliar voice gasped, the noise sounding from somewhere to Grian’s left side. He twitched, head snapping towards where the voice had come from.

Etho chimed in, “Grian, Beef. Beef, Grian! Now, Beef - I have told you what was discussed before you arrived, and if you have anything to add, you can go ahead and do it now.”

Grian swallowed, and he heard heavy footsteps approaching him.

The new voice - Beef - spoke. “Oh, but that’s a wonderful sight. Grian?”

Grian licked his lips. He could _feel_ the eyes burning into his skin, taking him in— “Y-yes?”

“I realise this is a strange way to meet, but… I have to say, I’m very happy with this. Are you?”

Grian’s lips curled at the corners. “Yeah, I-I am. I’m very happy.”

Etho giggled, “Oh, doll. What do you say - isn’t it time for Beef to unwrap his present?”

Grian squirmed against the ropes, trembling. _“Yes.”_

Warm, startlingly big hands settled on each side of Grian’s upper thighs. He heard the man behind him take a deep breath.

“Thank you,” Beef said, thumbs smoothing over Grian’s naked skin. Grian moaned weakly, and then Beef’s hands moved to the silken ribbon tied around his hips.

With a slow tug, the delicate knot of the ribbon came undone, the smooth fabric slipping from around Grian’s hips and down to the floor. Grian shivered at the slightly ticklish feeling.

Beef’s hands settled on the cheeks of Grian’s ass, spreading him. “Oh!” Beef exclaimed. “Is he already prepared for me?”

Etho’s voice sounded from somewhere across the room. “No - he’s just lubed up for you. He didn’t want anything else.”

Quiet cursing could be heard from the man standing behind Grian. It made the smaller man’s face burn, hips stuttering and a small keen make its way up his throat.

Beef continued, “But Etho - he’s so _small.”_

Grian felt the ropes moving, Beef’s grip on him changing slightly. The ropes creaked, and Grian realised he was being lowered. Etho answered while Grian was still swinging slightly, hips and ass being held still by Beef’s hands. “He _is._ And he can take you, anyway. Isn’t that right, pretty doll?”

Grian whimpered, and nodded his head. He felt the dry pad of a thumb drag in between his cheeks, rubbing over his slick rim and spreading the lube there around. The thumb dipped _in—_

A shrill moan tore from his chest, and Grian didn’t know if his eyes were squeezed shut or if the darkness was only caused by the blindfold—

The thick digit retreated, and Grian was left gasping, hole twitching as he craved the return of the sensation. He barely noticed when soft footsteps began making their way over to him, stopping in front of him - a cool hand settled on his cheek, and another hand wrapped around the blindfold before gently tugging it up and off.

Grian blinked at the sudden brightness. He was face to face with Etho’s stomach, and he found that the other man was still dressed. Etho kept petting Grian’s cheeks softly, and he looked up to meet his eyes, Grian’s own vision still blurry from the light.

Etho’s lips parted, but when he spoke, the words weren’t directed at Grian, even as he maintained the eye contact. “Beef? If you want to try his mouth for a bit to get yourself ready, to give your gift a little taste of what’s to come, I’m sure that would be much appreciated. I can wait for a bit longer.”

Grian burned at the words, the way Etho was speaking _over_ him, _for_ him—

Beef replied from behind him, thumbs still digging into Grian’s ass. “Oh, that would be amazing! I want to have a proper look at his face, anyway - thank you, pup.”

Grian blinked in confusion at that particular pet name. Why _pup?_

He didn’t have the time to voice his question, because Etho released Grian’s face, and then Beef was spinning Grian around, making his legs flail in the air as a gasp escaped him at the sudden momentum.

He found himself face to face with bulging jeans. Grian’s eyes widened as his mind hurried to catch up to what he was seeing - _broad_ thighs, a body as thick and solid as a tree trunk… and the prominent bulge in the bigger man’s pants made Grian moan, loudly and thoughtlessly.

Beef laughed, and Grian’s burning face snapped up, taking in the other man’s features for the first time.

Gods, but he was big. Broad chest, thick arms, dark blue eyes and a solid beard. He looked like he’d be able to snap Grian in two, and Grian would _thank him_ for doing it. And still, Grian couldn’t help but notice the kindness in the bigger man’s eyes, the gentle expression and the way his face lit up with arousal and wonder.

“There you are, beautiful,” Beef murmured, and Grian felt his flush deepen. He squirmed, and a small whine was building in his chest.

“Would you like a taste of me? See how much of me your pretty little mouth can take before choking on my cock?”

Grian felt his own dick throb sharply, the moan finally spilling from his lips, but Etho’s voice cut through the noise, “Ah, in that case, give him something to hold first. We talked about him pinching one of us if he needed to stop, but he won’t be able to reach us in this position.”

Beef said, “Good thinking, pup.” Then, he addressed the tied up man in front of him. “Grian? Would you mind holding onto this for me, gorgeous? If you need me to stop at any time, just drop it, okay? Color?”

Grian’s breathing was shallow, but despite how his head was growing dizzy, he managed to nod, “Yes, yes please - _green.”_

A metal nugget - probably gold, based on the abundance of it in Beef’s base - was pressed into Grian’s bound hand, and he tightened his clammy fingers around it. Beef’s hand retreated, and Grian’s eyes paid rapid attention as the taller man began fiddling with his zipper.

The sound of it was loud in the otherwise quiet room, and Grian had to swallow around the amount of drool that had started pooling in his mouth.

Beef shoved his jeans down, stepping out of them and kicking the fabric to the side - and Grian was presented with a _huge_ bulge, tenting Beef’s white boxers and showing off the small wet patch at the front. Grian’s eyes glazed over, and he parted his lips, gaze locked firmly onto that one, damp spot.

He didn’t even react when Beef laughed goodheartedly above him, nor when one big hand settled on the back of Grian’s head, thick fingers wrapping around the strands of wavy hair.

His attention was firmly on Beef’s other hand, which was slowly edging closer to the hem of Beef’s boxers, fingers dipping beneath the fabric and pushing it down at a tantalisingly slow speed. Beef’s dick was straining against the fabric - and then it bobbed free, and the sheer _size_ of it took Grian’s breath away.

_Gods,_ but he must be bigger than even _Doc_ was—

“Open wide for me, beautiful.”

Grian’s eyes were half lidded, and he was already panting with how turned on he was. He let his jaw relax, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip, once, before looking up (and up, and up, and _up—)_ to meet Beef’s eyes. The blue in them had darkened even further, and through his peripheral, Grian could see Beef wrapping his hand around his dick, stroking it slowly before guiding the head towards Grian’s mouth.

A droplet of drool escaped from the corner of Grian’s mouth, but he kept his lips parted as Beef slowly guided himself to rest heavily on Grian’s bottom lip.

Grian pressed his tongue against the head, licking up the salty precome as he listened to Beef moan above him, a rather soft and careful sound. Beef pressed in deeper, just a bit, and Grian had to _work_ to make sure his teeth didn’t scrape over the soft flesh, his jaws already giving a twinge at having to be kept so wide open—

He wrapped his lips tightly around the head, and sucked gently, testing the waters as he kept gazing into Beef’s eyes.

Beef’s hips twitched towards him, and Grian moaned when he felt the thick width of his dick press deeper into his mouth, dragging over his tongue and touching his palate as it went. Grian increased the suction, coaxing Beef with his tongue to try and draw him in _deeper_ \- but Beef simply groaned, and pulled back until only the head was in Grian’s mouth.

Grian tongued at the slit, trying to work more precome out of the other man, and was rewarded with Beef shallowly thrusting against his face again, sliding even deeper this time, the head of his dick pressing firmly to the back of Grian’s throat.

He twitched, and realised that, tied up as he was, suspended up in the air and with no part of him touching the ground… Grian had no leverage to pull away, to control the pace or depth at _all._ A wrecked-sounding moan tore out of him as he cried out around Beef’s dick, an overwhelming surge of heat rolling through him in electrifying waves that settled low in his stomach at the realisation.

Beef pulled back, just the tiniest bit - and then he thrust _in._

Grian’s eyes clenched shut to keep the tears springing up from escaping at the incredible pressure in his throat. Beef was so _wide—_

He barely had the time to react much at all before the dick slid back, once more resting heavily on his tongue as he gasped and panted around it, spit and precome running down his chin as Grian tried to breathe despite the way his throat was already feeling sore, after just one single thrust inside.

And then he _moaned._

Grian’s eyelids fluttered, and he looked up at Beef with a wide, desperate gaze - _begging_ him, to please, _please_ do that again, the threat of tears still pooling in his lashes.

Beef’s eyes were intense, locked to Grian’s own as the taller man groaned appreciatively above him. The fingers in Grian’s hair tightened, and Beef thrust back into Grian’s throat, pressing in and in and in—

He could feel his throat working, trying desperately to adapt to the sudden, wide insertion, deeper than probably any dick Grian had ever taken before - and definitely the widest, judging by the way his throat was screaming at him, sore and aching and a different kind of burning sensation that made Grian grow dizzy as he felt his pulse pound at his temples.

Cool fingers touched the skin of his throat, and Grian couldn’t even move to react, couldn’t open his eyes or make a sound.

Over the sounds Beef was making, Grian could hear Etho’s voice speaking in a low growl. “Look at that perfect fit, Beef. I bet that your new fuckdoll feels incredible - I can _see_ you in his throat, you know. Right here,” and Etho accentuated his words by tightening his grip around Grian’s neck, making the smaller man’s eyes open wide as his eyes bulged, feet kicking against nothing— Beef let out a shout as the pressure around his dick increased—

And Grian came.

It startled him, just as much as it surprised the other two men in the room - he was unable to cry out, but his muscles worked his throat around Beef’s dick just the same. Grian’s head felt like it was about to explode with how the pressure was building up at each wave of pleasure, of ice cold heat that wrecked through his limbs and made him spasm and twitch against the golden ropes. 

He heard it when his come hit the floor, and when Beef pulled out of his throat and mouth completely, Grian wheezed as precome and drool and sweat and tears ran down his face, adding to the mess below him. The release of the pressure in his head, as well as the rush of fresh oxygen replacing the stale one that had been in his lungs made Grian’s dick give another spurt.

Grian whined, brokenly, when he finally went slack, head only being held up by Beef’s hand that was still tangled in his hair.

Beef asked, “Did you touch him, before?”

“No,” Etho replied, sounding breathless. “I only gave him three fingers, nothing else.”

Grian’s face was burning with heat, with shame and embarrassment. He couldn’t even hide from their gazes, head held in place as it was, forcing him to let Beef and Etho take his expression in, to let them see _just_ how wrecked he looked.

Then Beef moaned, and Grian could see the way the man’s dick throbbed, spit-slick and flushed a deep red, still so close to Grian’s face.

Grian looked hesitatingly up at Beef’s face once more, before parting his lips with a questioning tilt to one eyebrow as he opened his mouth.

Beef’s cheeks were red beneath his beard, and he was breathing heavily. Grian saw the glimpse in his eyes as he took in Grian’s actions, but then Beef smiled and shook his head. “No, gorgeous, I think I’m ready for the main course, now. You took me so deep, pretty thing - and don’t worry about coming. I think you deserved a treat for how good you did. Etho didn’t tell me you were able to come untouched—”

Etho mumbled, “Well, _I_ didn’t know, _either—”_

Beef continued as if there had been no interruption. “—but I think that just earned you the right to a second orgasm, by the time we’re done. Colour?” he said, smiling sweetly down at Grian.

Grian swallowed, trying to make the dryness in his throat recede enough for him to speak— _“Green,”_ he whispered, voice still sounding croaking and hoarse, despite his best attempt to prevent it.

Beef’s smile only widened, and he gently untangled his fingers from Grian’s hair before spinning Grian around once again, making him gasp as the room shifted around him as he twirled from the ropes, only stopping when Beef’s warm hands settled on his hips like when he’d first entered the room.

Grian saw long, lean legs before him. He lifted his head up from where it’d been hanging loosely after Beef released his grip on Grian’s hair, trailing up the dark pants until he was facing Etho.

The taller man was smiling down at him, eyes hooded and cheeks flushed. Grian licked his lips when he saw that Etho, at some point, had pulled his dick out of his pants - and it was a pretty one, as far as dicks went, too. A good length, not too wide (at least, not compared to Beef), pale pink and with a mouth-watering curve to it that made Grian’s dick twitch.

“Wait for it, doll,” Etho said, cupping both of Grian’s cheeks with his hands, the touch cool and soothing against Grian’s overheated skin.

Grian moaned weakly, turning his face up to meet Etho’s eyes, confusion at the forefront of his mind—

Beef’s arms grabbed underneath Grian’s thighs, parting them while lifting them up, before stepping _right_ in between them. Grian felt the warm, wet press of the man’s dick between his cheeks, resting hot and perfect in his cleft. He threw his head back, making Etho’s hands slip from his face, and moaned.

Beef thrust against him a few times, rubbing between his cheeks and dragging the length of his dick over Grian’s hole. It forced a broken gasp from the smaller man, and when the cold touch returned to pet at his cheeks, Grian parted his eyelids, going almost cross-eyed as he realised the way Beef had elevated his legs had made Grian’s face be more-or-less perfectly lined up with Etho’s dick.

Grian opened his mouth, desperate for it, needing and _wanting_ Etho to push past his lips, to claim him and _use him—_

And it seemed like Etho was thinking the same thing, groaning softly as he stepped closer, letting the head of his dick press past Grian’s lips to rest on his tongue. “Lick,” he said, the word sounding like a command, an order that Grian was all-too happy to follow.

Grian tongued at the slit, licking up all the precome that had gathered there, before swirling his tongue around the head as he began teasing the foreskin, pushing at it and tonguing at the most prominent vein on the shaft.

Etho wasn’t terribly vocal during it, letting out low moans and soft sighs, but the way his hands were caressing Grian’s face, petting at his cheeks and hair, thumbing at where Grian’s lower lip was wrapped around him - it told Grian everything he needed to know.

Grian felt Beef shifting his grip on Grian’s legs. “Pretty thing? Would you mind bending your legs for me, please?”

Grian moaned softly at the nickname as he did what he was asked to. Beef pressed Grian’s thighs against the man’s own thighs, saying, “Hold yourself there,” before the hands left Grian’s thighs. The smaller man strained to keep his legs in the elevated position, squeezing Beef’s thighs between his own. Then Beef’s hands moved to Grian’s ankles, guiding them until Beef could hook them over his own ribcage, effectively giving Grian a way to support his weight.

“Just until I’m inside you, okay, pretty one?”

Grian’s breath hitched when he felt warm lips touch one of his hands, still bound behind his back, followed by the tickly scratch of beard on his fingers. Beef continued, speaking the words against Grian’s knuckles, “Then I’ll make sure to hold you again, like the precious gift you are.”

Grian keened, and when Beef’s hands left him to once more settle on Grian’s cheeks, _spreading_ him, the sound turned into a hoarse cry. He was pretty sure he was already hard again, or at least most of the way there—

Beef’s dick pulled away from the cleft of his ass, and Grian mourned the loss of its presence - and then the head of it was nudging the soft rim of Grian’s hole, and all was forgiven.

Beef moved one hand, presumably to help guide his dick inside, while the other stayed where it was, holding Grian open, giving him no choice but to _present_ himself, _offering_ his hole to the other man. Grian’s grip tightened around the golden nugget in his hand, wanting to make _absolutely sure_ he didn’t accidentally drop it—

The blunt head was pushing against him. Grian wheezed when the width of it kept increasing, and _increasing_ \- and when the head finally popped in, past that first ring of muscle, the only sound that left Grian’s mouth, still wrapped around the head of Etho’s dick, was a small, broken sound, deep in his chest.

The loud moan Beef made behind him was enough to make Grian’s head go hazy, eyelashes fluttering as he felt waves of heat spread through him, the stretch sending warm pulses through his body, aching in the _best_ of ways.

“Oh, Etho— it’s _such_ a tight fit,” Beef moaned out, and it made shivers dance down Grian’s spine.

Etho laughed breathlessly above him. “I _told_ you that I didn’t stretch him out for you. He wanted you to work him open on your cock, love. Make him _take it.”_ The last words punctuated the way Etho suddenly thrust against Grian’s mouth.

Grian gagged at the sudden presence of a dick in his already sore throat, and when Etho pulled back just as quickly as he’d pushed in, Grian’s coughing made Beef’s dick slip out of him. Beef groaned at the loss, and Grian joined him as soon as his breathing was back under control.

Beef sounded stricter when he said, “Pup, _behave.”_ The words weren’t directed at Grian, but the tone of the man’s voice still made Grian pay rapid attention.

Again, Beef pressed against his hole, and this time, the breach went easier. Grian still moaned when the head popped in, the feeling just as electrifying as before. Beef didn’t stop this time, and as he continued to press inwards, Grian could feel the sparks of pleasure and discomfort bursting beneath his skin. The width of it was too much to comprehend, now that he felt more and more of it slide inside him, forcing his walls to part as Beef _made_ room for himself inside of Grian.

Beef’s hands returned to Grian’s thighs, helping the smaller man maintain the position his legs were in, Beef slowly pressing deeper and deeper.

It felt like he was being split open, his own body molding itself around Beef’s dick as he was forced to take it, _wanted_ to take it. He was greedy - he wanted it all, and Grian would be damned if he let some slight discomfort stop him from getting it.

It felt like an eternity before Beef’s hips were pressing against Grian’s ass, the taller man letting out a noise that sounded as desperately relieved as Grian himself was feeling.

“Holy—” Etho whispered above him. “You really _are_ the perfect fuckdoll.”

Beef’s moan was drowned beneath the sheer volume of Grian’s own voice, crying out around Etho’s dick, mindless and half-crazed. Gods, it was—

Beef leaned over him, making Grian swing slightly forwards, Etho’s dick slipping deeper into his mouth with the motion. Grian’s voice was cut off with a “Glrk,” as Etho’s dick hit the back of his throat - and then Beef was wrapping his forearm beneath Grian’s thighs, effectively supporting his legs with one arm (and wasn’t _that_ a thought that made Grian’s brain melt,) while Beef’s other hand made its way around the skin of Grian’s side, before finally settling low on his stomach.

When Beef spoke, Grian could feel the vibrations of the other man’s voice, Grian’s bound arms trapped between his own back and Beef’s chest— “Can you feel this? Right here?” Beef pressed his hand against the skin beneath Grian’s navel.

“I can feel myself, right here. Through you.”

Grian’s vision whited out. Beef’s hips pulled back, and the slow drag of his dick felt just as impossible and incredible on its way out - and then Beef pressed _in,_ the motion once again rocking Grian onto Etho’s dick. And Grian felt what Beef meant.

The skin of his lower stomach was protruding when Beef bottomed out, the sheer size difference between them making Grian’s skin distend outwards into Beef’s waiting palm.

Etho’s voice made its way through the stupor that was Grian’s mind. “Eyes on the prize, doll.”

All Grian knew was heat, after that.

The hot burn in his throat when Etho started thrusting into his mouth, warm precome on his tongue, friction on his lips.

The searing heat of his muscles taking everything Beef was giving to him, the scalding stretch, the inferno that was the other men’s words and voices, raining praise and degradation down on him, filling his head up with their sticky-sweet words, his chest with the heavy weight of shame, and the white-hot lightning that jolted through him at every drag past his prostate.

It took everything he had to keep his grip on the golden nugget in his hand, to not let his fingers slip - if this moment ended before he was ready, Grian was sure he’d lose his mind.

Grian couldn’t tell exactly when he came. The heat and the motions continued, dragging his pleasure on to the point where he was no longer sure if it had been an orgasm or not, sensations all blurring together.

When Etho came, it was easier. The feeling of warm come spilling over his tongue and past his lips was something Grian was familiar with. His body knew what to do, even if his mind was too out of it to remember. He swallowed dutifully, licking his lips when Etho pulled out.

Grian let his head hang, once Etho’s hands left him. He was swaying, being rocked with Beef’s movements, the thrusts having grown harder and faster the longer they went.

A burst of warmth inside him, a few more hard thrusts, and a loud moan behind him. Grian could feel Beef’s dick pulsating inside him as he released, and when he pulled out completely, Grian could see the man’s come joining Grian’s own in the mess on the floor.

Then everything was quiet.

Grian was still so out of it, so lost—

Then a warm hand curled around his dick, and Grian was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Hot - Confetti


	9. The women getting it in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Gold hoe] Have sex with 10 different hermits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stress is here!! Stress is here!!

~ * ~

Grian blinked his eyes back open once it no longer felt like he was floating outside of his own body.

As his consciousness once more settled into his skin, he immediately noticed the ache where the ropes had been digging into him, the faint burn where he’d struggled against his bindings. The actual ropes were no longer around him, though, and so the first thing he did was stretch his arms out with a wince, revelling in how the movement relieved some of the tension that had built up in his shoulders.

He heard a chuckle, and Grian turned his head to look at the man the voice belonged to. Beef.

The man was smiling so _sweetly_ at him, and Grian was surprised to find that they both were reclined on a bed, though a quick glance around told Grian that they were still in the same grandiose room as before, and the large bed seemed to be a last-minute addition.

“Hi,” Grian whispered, and when footsteps could be heard approaching behind him, Grian turned his head, and found the last person missing from the picture - Etho was walking up to the bed, multiple items in hand.

Etho smiled at him when he noticed Grian looking, but it was Beef that replied to Grian’s greeting, making the smaller man turn back to facing the bigger man. “Hello, gorgeous. How are you feeling?”

Grian’s cheeks warmed at the repeat of the nickname, at the way it immediately threw his mind back to earlier, when he’d been tied up and _so overwhelmed_ _—_

“I feel… incredible. Sore, but incredible.”

Beef’s smile widened, and he reached out to settle one big, warm palm against Grian’s cheek, thumb caressing the soft skin beneath his eye. “I’m glad. I feel really good, too. That was just… amazing, Grian. I can’t tell you how happy I am.”

Grian smiled as his blush deepened, but he pressed his own hand against Beef’s palm on his cheek, holding the hand there as he smiled shyly at the bigger man. Grian felt the bed dip behind him as Etho climbed on to join the two of them.

“Etho?” Grian said, waiting for the answering hum before he continued, “Are you happy with me, too? Was it good for you?”

“Oh, doll,” Etho said, immediately leaning over him to press a soft, reassuring kiss to Grian’s shoulder. “You were perfect. I had a fantastic time, and I’m already looking forward to the possibility of repeating this, sometime in the future.”

Grian’s heart gave a squeeze in his chest. “Oh - yes, please, I’d _love_ to.”

“Good,” Etho said, no longer in Grian’s field of vision, but the smile in his voice was easy enough to pick up on. “Now, let me take care of your rope burns while we talk about the scene, eh?”

Grian nodded, making Beef’s hand drag against the skin of his face. The warmth of it felt nice. “Yes. That sounds good.”

At the first touch of cool fingers covered with an even cooler gel smoothing across the heated lines trailing over his back, Grian let his eyes slip closed with a soft moan. The ache lit up wherever Etho’s fingers touched, before the pleasant tingles of numbness and soothing magic of the gel was left behind. A relieved sigh left his mouth, and Grian turned further onto his stomach to give Etho more access to his back.

“That feels nice,” he slurred, sinking into the soft sheets.

Beef chuckled beside him, having moved his hand to delicately card his fingers through Grian’s hair. “Yeah, Etho knows his stuff when it comes to ropes - before, during _and_ after.”

“I can tell,” Grian sighed, Etho’s hands slowly making their way down his back, smearing the soothing gel out at a relaxed, gentle pace. When those cool hands started applying the same treatment to the marks the ropes had left behind on his ass, Grian shivered, a small sound getting caught in his throat, but the tease of it was overpowered by the way it made him feel _tired._

“So. Debriefing.”

Grian blinked his eyelids open, glancing at Beef as the man kept speaking. “What did we like about the scene? I can go first. I liked the fact that Grian was only lubed up for me - and the size difference, too. Those were my favourite parts. Grian?”

Etho’s hands were currently making Grian part his legs to rub more of the cooling gel between them, and Grian had to struggle a bit to find his words. “Um,” he said, gathering his thoughts, “The, uh, the praises and nicknames. Those were - really, really hot. And Beef, when you made me choke on Etho’s dick? That was— _wow.”_

Etho laughed gently above him, and Grian felt pleasant shivers run down his spine at the smoothness of his voice.

“As for me,” Etho said, hands never faltering as he worked on Grian’s tired body, “The best part was the amount of trust shown with Grian being suspended and tied up during it. Surprise, surprise.” Grian smiled against the sheets, and Etho continued. “Also, when you came untouched. And when Beef said he could _feel_ himself through your _stomach.”_

Beef groaned slightly at the reminder, and Grian, too, felt his heartbeat picking up slightly at that particular reminder.

“Yes. Yes, I think we can all agree that that was a highlight for sure,” Beef said, and Grian hurriedly nodded his agreement.

Beef kept talking. “Was there anything we felt was missing? Things that we’d want to see or do if we were to do the scene again?”

Grian saw that Beef was looking at him expectantly, and so he licked his lips as he thought about it. “I think… well, honestly, I would maybe want a bit more pain and humiliation, if we were to do it again. This was fine, for a first time session, and I’m really happy with how it went—” Grian was quick to explain, but Beef cut him off before he could say anything else.

“You don’t have to defend it, if you don’t want to. We know you had fun, but you’re allowed to want to change things to make it even better for you,” the bigger man said, a kind smile on his face.

Grian smiled back, grateful, as he let Etho turn him around until he was laying on his back. This allowed him to meet Etho’s eyes as the white-haired man started on working the gel into the harsher marks left behind by the ropes on Grian’s front side, where the majority of Grian’s weight had been distributed.

Etho had a calm expression on his face, eyebrows slightly pinched in concentration as he tended to Grian’s raw skin while thinking of his own answer. “I would have changed the way we did the nonverbal safeword,” he said, and Grian was immediately nodding his agreement. “It was a bad oversight on my end to not think of how the rigging I had in mind would make the safeword we had discussed beforehand next to impossible to do.”

Grian lifted one hand to press it to Etho’s cheek, gently turning his face until their eyes met. “You remembered in time, Etho. Next time, we will all be more careful.”

Etho looked into Grian’s eyes intently, but slowly the tension that Grian had barely noticed left the taller man’s shoulders as he relaxed, expression softening. “Yeah,” Etho said, sighing around the word. “Yeah. We will. Beef?”

Beef piped up, sounding more cheerful than the somber tone Grian and Etho had delved into, “I would want Grian’s legs to be tied up, too. It was sort of a pain to have to keep a hold of them the entire time.”

Grian burst out laughing, letting his hand slip from Etho’s face to press to his own stomach as the force of his giggles made the untreated rope marks sting.

Etho, on the other hand, replied in a sassy tone Grian had yet to hear from the man, before this very moment. “Yeah, well, I had to let you work for it before I could let you enjoy your present.”

“Pup…” Beef warned, voice sounding darker with the delicious tone of a warning present in the single, spoken word—

“What is the reason behind that particular nickname?” Grian asked, breaking the tension.

Etho blinked down at him, and then it was Beef’s turn to burst out laughing. “Yeah, Etho - why don’t you tell Grian here the story behind you being my little puppy?”

And, to Grian’s surprise and wonder, when he looked up again to meet Etho’s eyes, he found the man who, to him, had seemed so stoic and controlled - red faced and averting his gaze, hands hesitating on Grian’s skin for the first time since the two of them had met.

“I…” Etho said, actually _mumbling,_ and to say that Grian was intrigued would be an understatement— “I’m really into petplay, and… well, Beef is really— And I—”

Grian cut him off by placing his own hands on top of where Etho’s were fluttering restlessly over Grian’s skin. “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. If you want, you can always tell me more about it later - just know that I’m not judging.”

Etho bit his lower lip, and oh, if the sight of him displaying this level of embarrassment and shyness didn’t do things to Grian’s insides. Etho hesitatingly met Grian’s gaze, and the taller man nodded down at him, once, as his hands slowly grew calm beneath Grian’s palms.

Beef hummed appreciatively beside them, and the moment, loaded with tension as it had been, ended.

Etho’s hands moved on to Grian’s arms and the rope burns there, and Beef kept talking. “Anyone want to add anything else?”

Grian shrugged. “Just that I had a lot of fun, and that I would love to repeat this sometime, if the two of you are interested.”

Beef smiled at him, “Likewise. And I hope you won’t hesitate to reach out if you want us to help you with some of your achievements - it’s the least we could do, after you saved me from being pranked by inspiring Etho to give me a gift, instead.” Then, Beef shot a look at Etho when the white-haired man started jokingly protesting, and Beef said, “Oh, don’t try me, pup. I know you.”

Etho’s jaws snapped shut, and Grian giggled at the flustered expression on Etho’s face.

Grian said, voice kind, “Etho?”

The white-haired man turned to look down at him, and Grian continued, “Did you have anything to add?”

Etho smiled at him, cheeks still red, as he said, “Just that I meant it, before, when I said that we would love to keep you. Finding someone that’s so perfectly suited to both of our tastes - small and wild and happy to be tied down and overstimulated until you just about pass out—”

It was Grian’s time to blush, and it didn’t help when Beef moaned softly beside him, a quick glance telling Grian that the bigger man was nodding his head along with what Etho was saying—

“And also that I think we’re going to be really good friends. You’re a funny guy, and I like you. Thank you for indulging me in this particular fantasy, doll.”

As Etho leaned down to press a soft kiss to Grian’s slack lips, Beef getting comfortable beside them as he watched, Grian found that he was more than happy with how this challenge-business had gone.

  
  
  


The three of them spent the rest of the day together in Beef’s village, relaxing at the beach and helping Beef out in the garden while the brunet prepared dinner. They ate in bed, which was a messy affair, but they were laughing and enjoying themselves, which was all that mattered.

When Beef invited Grian to stay the night with the two of them, the agreement came easy to him - already resting at the tip of his tongue by the time the bigger man offered.

It was warm, and clammy, with three bodies being pressed so close together in the humid night, but a quick swim in the ocean before breakfast the next morning cured any ailments the night might have caused.

As Grian pushed his jungle plank boat away from the shore, it was with the knowledge that he had two new friends and some wonderfully relaxing times behind him, and he felt truly unwounded and content as he started making long, steady strokes with the oars, making the boat glide across the water, leaving Beef’s beach town behind.

By the time Grian hit the shore of the jungle, near his hobbit hole, his shoulders were aching pleasantly from the exertion, and his brow was beaded with sweat from the heat of the sun bearing down on him.

He decided to indulge himself, preparing some pumpkin pie with the pumpkins Beef had let him keep after Grian and Etho had helped to harvest them, and as Grian settled down with his sweet treat, relaxing in the shade outside of his starter base, he pulled out his communicator with one hand, excited to see the reactions to his latest achievements… which was why it came as a surprise to him, when he _hadn’t_ gotten achievements, plural, but rather only a single one. Huh.

_Grian has made the achievement [Nice decoration]_

He had been so sure that he would get _Conquer the mountain,_ too, after taking Beef. Last season, Grian was certain that Doc had the biggest dick on the server, but after spending time at Beef’s beach village, Grian doubted that this was the case this season. Apparently, he was wrong - but no. Beef _was_ bigger than Doc. He was _sure_ of it.

But then, who was even bigger than _Beef?_ Clueless, Grian kept reading the chat.

_< BdoubleO100> Oh, the rope-thing?_

_< BdoubleO100> Let me guess. Etho? _

_ <Docm77> im betting on etho _

_ <Docm77> also DANG IT now we’re tied for first _

A quick glance to the scoreboard showed Grian that Doc was right - Grian and Doc were in a tie, both of them having completed eight achievements each.

_ <Iskall85> add one bet on Etho _

_ <MumboJumbo> 12 bamboo on Etho? _

_ <Iskall85> … _

_ <Iskall85> Screw you, dude _

_ <MumboJumbo> :) _

_ <Docm77> hey iskall id be happy to screw him for you. the GOAT never loses!! _

Grian snorted, scrambling slightly as he almost swallowed his mouthful of pumpkin pie wrong.

_ <Iskall85> whore. _

_ <MumboJumbo> I-- _

_ <MumboJumbo> O_O _

_ <xBCrafted> congrats to whoever got a grian dangling from their ceiling \o/ _

_ <Hypnotizd> lol! _

_ <Stressmonster101> where can i place an orda for one of these for meself? _

_ <Renthedog> +1 ;) _

_ <Keralis1> +1 order for ceiling brian! _

To say Grian was almost getting a noseful of pie from how hard he was laughing as he was catching up with the chat was an understatement. He always enjoyed reading what his fellow hermits had been up to, and seeing them react to his ever-growing list of achievements always brought a silly grin to his face.

The mystery of the missing achievement was still weighing on him though, and as Grian cleaned up his plate after finishing his meal, he couldn’t help but wonder.

He really had thought he’d get the mountain-achievement after Beef… unless, Grian realised, the dick in question only needed to _belong_ to a hermit, and not actually be a physical _part_ of them. That gave him an idea - and Grian quickly washed away the last soap suds from his hands before patting them dry against his jeans, hurriedly pulling his communicator back up.

Grian read back, and yes, he remembered right. Stress had indeed sent a message after Grian’s last achievement. He read it again—

_ <Stressmonster101> where can i place an orda for one of these for meself? _

Grian knew Stress was supposed to be somewhere in the jungle, too, and he hurriedly tapped her name with his thumb, opening up a private message. He typed,

_ <Grian> heya Stress! I heard you were on the lookout for some new decoration? >:3 _

He didn’t get a reply right away, and Grian placed his communicator back in his pocket as he started tinkering around in his base. He had had the idea a few days prior to maybe dig a tunnel between Mumbo’s base and his own, and Grian lost track of time as he started working on it, losing himself in the task.

When he took a break, it was around midday. Grian was washing off his sweat in the river that ran by his base, when he suddenly remembered the message he had sent to Stress.

He checked, and sure enough - a reply from the cheerful woman was waiting for him.

_ <Stressmonster101> haha! _

_ <Stressmonster101> eager little fing, aren’t ya? :D _

_ <Stressmonster101> i’m not actually any good wif ropes tho - but i’d love ta show u around me base, and then we could have some fun togetha if u’d like? _

It had been a few hours since Stress’ last message, and Grian hoped he hadn’t missed his chance. Sure, Grian was excited about the opportunity to gain the lead over Doc on the list of achievements - but he was excited at the prospect of seeing his friend, too.

_ <Grian> Sorry I’m late!! I got lost in the sauce of building _

_ <Grian> Is the offer still open? I’d love to come over :) _

This time, Stress’ reply was instantaneous.

_ <Stressmonster101> sure fing, love! here are me lovely coords :D _

The coordinates to Stress’ base in hand, Grian put away all the stone and other resources he’d managed to gather while digging, and he put on some fresh clothes after he’d finished drying off after his bath.

Then he set off, a smile on his face and a bottle of lube in his pocket. If _this_ didn’t give him the achievement, he didn’t know what would.

  
  
  


Stress’ base was as lovely as the woman who had built it was, radiant and glowing, sunlight hitting different structures made of the mosaiq of hundreds of panes of coloured glass. When Stress herself came into sight, stepping up from a ladder as Grian parked his boat, her laughter rang like bells, chiming brilliantly as she greeted him with a smile.

“There you are, love! Welcome to me gorgeous base,” she said, spreading her arms as if Grian’s eyes weren’t already taking it all in with a wide smile.

It was obvious that she was far from finished - but the amount of work Stress had already put into her base was impressive.

“It looks amazing, Stress,” Grian said, stepping out of the boat to embrace the small woman. “It’s good to see you - I knew we were in the same jungle, but I didn’t know we were this close!”

Stress’ arms tightened around him before she picked him up and spun him around, making both of them giggle before she let him down again. “Thank you, love. It’s been a grind, I must admit - but worth it, don’t ya think?”

Grian smiled at her. “Definitely.”

The two of them talked as she showed him around the area, wandering between the different builds and Stress pointing out where she had planned for new ones to go. All the while, Grian caught her up with the mystery of the achievement: _Conquer the mountain._

“Wait,” Stress cut him off, laughing. “So it wasn’t Beef? _How?_ That man’s got the biggest prick I’ve ever seen!”

Grian shrugged helplessly. “That’s what _I_ was thinking! But apparently, there must be someone else, someone I don’t know about - or there’s another possibility.”

Stress hooked her arm through Grian’s, linking them up at the elbow as they walked. “Oh? Pray tell, does it have somethin’ to do with me?”

Grian smiled, turning his head to look down at her, “It does. I was thinking - and nowhere in the achievement’s description does it say that the dick has to be attached to any of the hermits. It just says ‘the biggest dick on the server’ - and if I remember correctly—”

Stress’ face lit up, brown eyes going wide with excitement as she tightened her grip around his arm almost painfully. “Oh! _Oh,_ you think it might refer to me biggest strap?”

A mischievous grin spread on Grian’s face as he bit down the wince at the way she was pulling at his arm - gods, but Stress was a lot stronger than she looked - and he said, winking, “Only one way to find out, right?”

“Oh Grian, you gorgeously brilliant man! Let’s do it!”

Stress hurriedly pulled him towards the ladder he’d seen her climb up from before, and as the two of them made their way down into a room that Grian quickly recognised as a storage area, Stress bounced over to start rummaging through the chests.

“And it needs to be the very biggest one, yeah?” She called out over her shoulder.

Grian walked over to lean against the wall while she switched to search through another chest. “Yep,” he said, “the biggest one you’ve got.”

She squealed, _“Oh_ , Grian, this is gonna be so much _fun!”_

Grian was smiling fondly at her when she exclaimed, “Found it!”

Stress turned back to him, letting the lid of the chest she’d been searching through slam closed behind her as she waved the strap-on at him, crossing the room as Grian caught sight of the toy.

Grian’s breathing got a bit shallower the more he looked at it - it was a beautiful toy, made of light pink glass. It seemed incredibly smooth, decorated with faint magenta dots that protruded slightly from the shaft. What made his mouth go dry and his body run hot, though, was the size of it.

Stress wasn’t even _close_ to being able to close her fist around the widest part of it, and the toy was ridiculously long - easily as long as Grian’s forearm.

“Think this’ll do, love?” She asked him, voice soft and sweet as she took in Grian’s wide-eyed expression.

Grian swallowed, already feeling the ache between his legs as he imagined the toy inside him— “Yeah,” he whispered, clearing his voice before continuing, “Yeah, I think that’ll work just fine.”

Stress pressed up against him, one soft thigh slipping between Grian’s knees as she grinded against his crotch. She giggled, sweetly, as her breasts pressed up against his chest, the gentle swell of them making him feel almost dizzy as he looked into her warm, brown eyes.

“Where do you want me, love? We could have a nice, relaxed time up on the grass, or maybe even in the water—”

Grian cut her off, panting, “Just - right here, please?”

Stress paused. “Up against the wall of me storage area?” Grian hesitated, face red, before nodding, once. Stress seemed to consider it, but then a wide grin spread on her face, making her cheeks dimple. “Alright! That works with me!”

She took a step away from him, and Grian struggled not to fall over when her weight stopped pushing him against the wall - he’d instinctively tried to follow her, before thinking better of it, and she chuckled as she placed one hand on his shoulder before spinning him around until he was facing the wall.

“Stay there for me while I grab me harness, yeah?”

Grian nodded again, making his cheek drag against the wall from how firmly she’d pressed him up against it. In his peripheral, he could see her walking over to the chests again with a bounce in her step. He felt a swell of affection for the small woman - she’d been such a good friend to him, since day one. Honest, kind and giving to a fault.

“H-hey, Stress?” he called out, making her pause with one hand in a chest as she looked at him.

“Yeah?”

Grian smiled, a shaky, helpless kind of grin as he chuckled at himself. “Nothing. I just really love you, you know?”

Stress shot him a brilliant grin in return, making her entire face light up with it. “Aww, Grian, you flatterer! I love you, too, you silly man.” She turned back to the chest for another moment, and then she closed it softly before walking back over to where Grian was standing.

“Drop your trousers for me while I strap this on, will ya?”

Grian scrambled to do as she said, hands making quick work of the button to his jeans before pushing them down to pool around his ankles. He toed his shoes off, leaving his entire lower body bare beneath Stress’ gaze - and she was looking, he could _feel_ it, like a physical touch trailing down his skin—

He heard the soft whisper of leather being tightened, and then Stress’ warm, small hands settled on the naked skin of Grian’s hips.

She whispered, “Did ya come all prepared for me?” the words blowing warmly against the shell of his ear, and causing goosebumps to break out on Grian’s skin.

Grian shook his head, and he answered her with a slight tremor in his voice, “N-no, but. I have a bottle of lube in the pockets of my pants.”

She hummed, causing more warm air to tickle Grian’s skin, and then Stress leaned in to press a soft kiss to his neck. “That’s alright, love. I’m sure I can work ya open.” Then, her voice got syrupy sweet as she added, “But next time? I want ya to come prepared for me, alright?”

Grian moaned weakly, eyes clenching shut at the thinly veiled threat to her words as he nodded, feeling a rush of heat from where her breath hit his neck and all the way down to the soles of his bare feet.

“Good,” she whispered, and then her hands left him to pick up the lube from the trousers Grian had discarded before. Then, she said, “Hands and chest against the wall, please. Stick your bum out for me.”

Grian did as she asked, and he slid his torso down the wall as the change in position made Grian back his bare ass against Stress’ pelvis. He shivered as he felt the cold touch of the smooth glass surface of the toy against the back of his thigh. Her hand settled on Grian’s left hip, gently preventing him from moving further.

Then three wet fingers were pressing against his hole, and Grian sucked in a breath between his clenched teeth.

He was still kind of sensitive after the rough way Beef had taken him, and Grian knew that Stress _knew that—_

In the end, he didn't have a reason to worry. Stress only slipped one slim finger inside of him, letting it slide slowly and sensually inwards before she curled it, gently, and then dragged it back out. Grian sighed as he sank further into the wall, making the bend in his back sharpen. There wasn’t even a hint of pain as Stress worked the one finger inside him, calmly dragging it in and out.

She pressed in another, and Grian made a small sound in the back of his throat, widening his legs as he gave Stress more room to work. She giggled behind him, and pinched the cheek of his ass gently with her spare hand, making him twitch. “You’re adorable, Grian.”

He felt his face grow warmer at her teasing tone, but he knew that she meant it - and this time, when she curled her fingers, it was enough to make him moan. Her fingers didn’t reach quite deep enough to touch his prostate, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy the sensation of her inside of him, nonetheless.

The way Stress took her time, slowly scissoring her fingers before pressing in a third one, was sensual enough for it to not feel like he was being prepared for anything other than what the two of them were already doing - Grian was panting softly against the wall, sticking his ass out for her as she fingered him so _sweetly—_

Stress hummed out a question, “How prepared do ya wanna to be before I fuck ya? I’d imagine you’re still quite sore after yesterday.”

Grian took a shivering inhale. “As prepared as you can get me. I had, hah, I had Beef take me without any stretching at all, only lube.”

“Oh!” She gasped before letting out a bright peal of excited laughter, “Oh, Grian, you naughty man. And with Beef of all people? Madness,” she said, voice as mild as it was chastising. “In that case, we better go the full way, yeah?”

Grian didn’t need to ask her what she meant - it was something the two of them had done before, in the previous season. He nodded.

Stress slipped a fourth finger inside of him, and now she was able to reach much deeper within him, deep enough to tease around the area close to Grian’s prostate, making him squirm and whimper. “Still good?” she panted, and Grian was glad that everything seemed to affect her, as well.

“Y-yeah,” he moaned, “Keep going, please.”

She bent over him to press a quick kiss to his back, and even through the layer of his shirt, Grian felt the heat of it, the gentle promise.

“Don’t worry love, I got ya.”

As Stress continued to slowly work him open, her fingers curling and flexing within him, her fingers spreading apart and dragging down the sensitive skin within. By that point, Grian’s dick was leaking, and he was very glad for the support of the wall and Stress’ hand on his hip, because his legs were trembling quite badly at the gentle waves of heat spreading through him at Stress’ ministrations.

When Stress tucked her thumb against her palm, only for her to start sliding that inside of him as well, it took every ounce of willpower Grian had not to come immediately. He knew he would collapse the moment he did, and Stress wasn’t yet in the position to be able to catch him when it inevitably happened.

A low moan started building up in his chest as he felt Stress’ small, clever fingers press deeper and deeper inside of him, his muscles protesting slightly against the widest part of her hand, knuckles catching on his rim—

And then, her hand slipped in, and Grian cried out at the relief of it as the width of her hand got slimmer, his muscles clinging to her wrist.

“Shh, _shh,_ love, I got ya, I got ya,” Stress soothed him, voice gentle and calming like the brush of fingers combing through his hair. She added, _“Breathe,”_ a soft command that Grian followed instinctively, taking a gasping breath.

Grian took a few, desperate breaths, clinging to the wall and his willpower with all his might as he trembled beneath her hands.

This time, when Stress curled her fingers, it was to press directly down on his prostate, rubbing calmly yet determinedly against the sensitive spot—

Grian was so desperate, so far gone that he swore he was dying, floating away as his body burned, and he gasped for breath that didn’t seem to give him any oxygen _at all_ \- and Stress didn’t let up the pressure, she just kept massaging and _toying_ with the spot, making Grian’s toes curl and tears run down his cheeks as the shock of prolonged pleasure melded with the ache of the stretch, bringing him up so _high—_

“Stress! _Stress,_ you’re gonna—”

She cut him off with a sharp yank to his hair, voice as deceptively sweet as ever when she told him, “Don’t ya dare, love. You’re either coming on me strap, or you’re not coming at all.”

And Grian clamped down with every muscle he had, drawing from every ounce of strength and discipline he possessed as he staved off his orgasm within an inch of his life, his body trembling like a tensed bow string, about to snap, Grian’s mouth open in a silent scream.

Stress untangled her hand from his hair, only to reach around him to slide her hand between his legs. Grian was about to beg, to plead with her not to touch him, not yet, not while she was still _working_ his prostate—

But she didn’t go for his dick. Instead, Stress’ clever, small hand went to his balls, cupping them before wrapping her fingers around them and _pumping,_ once, _hard._

It was painful, in a way that got crosswired within Grian’s brain somehow and made him moan desperately, arms spasming— but he could immediately tell why she’d done what she did. His orgasm was no longer so impending that he had to fight against his own body as to not submit to it, the devastating force of it looming over him and threatening to swallow him whole.

Grian trembled against the wall and arched his back for her, eyes moist as he moaned, “Thank you.”

“I figured ya’d need a helping _hand—”_ Stress said, flexing her fingers inside of him at the last word, making Grian whine, “—if I wanted ya to last to the main event. And, speaking of,” the sentence trailing off as she began to slide her hand out of him, “I think you’re about as ready as you’re gonna get, love.”

Grian nodded deliriously, eyes clenched shut against the sting of the returning stretch.

He was making small sounds on every exhale by the time Stress’ fingers left him completely, and the small woman didn’t hesitate to crowd Grian up against the wall once more, strong, plump arms wrapping around Grian’s chest as she wrangled him upright.

Grian was thankful for the support her body gave him, helping him stay upright despite the way his legs were no longer listening to him.

One of Stress’ hands was placed over where his palm was resting flat against the wall, the touch of her skin was soft when she intertwined their fingers, as her left hand reached down between them to grab the glass dildo that was strapped to her.

He felt her lift it, nudging the flawlessly smooth head of the toy against the pliant rim that Stress had so lovingly worked open. When she spoke to him, the breath of her voice tickled his neck, “Take a deep breath for me, love?”

Grian did so, agonisingly slowly letting his ribs expand as his lungs drew in a shaky inhale.

“And out,” Stress prompted, and once Grian’s breath started seeping out between his parted lips, Stress was nudging the head of the glass cock harder against his rim, and at some point the stretch got so uncomfortable that it was almost unbearable - she shushed him, and Grian kept forcing his lungs to work, air escaping him now with a hiss.

By the time his lungs were empty, chest heaving to replace the air that had been lost, the head of the toy was inside him, resting snugly just past his rim, and the feel of it was so _different_ to having something made of flesh and blood inside of him, be it mobs or humans or hybrids, tongues or dicks or fingers. The glass cock was _unyielding._

It was so incredibly smooth that his muscles found it hard to grip onto it, considering how _slick_ he was. The weight of it rested heavy inside of him, and Grian was more thankful than ever for Stress’ strong hands helping him stay upright.

Grian didn’t realise he was babbling until Stress shushed him again, cutting off his never-ending stream of _‘yes, please, no, wait, deeper, more, oh, Stress—’_

“Shush, love. We won’t have to keep going for long - I want ya to come on me cock the moment it reaches your sweet spot, a’ight?”

He was nodding, whimpering out his consent to her before she’d finished talking. “Yes, yes, _yes—”_

Stress leaned in to press a soft kiss to the lobe of his ear, the movement making the glass toy slip just a _bit_ further inside of him, making him _feel_ the moment the first, gentle bump on the shaft of it caught on his rim. His breath hitched.

And with one smooth thrust of Stress’ hips against his, the glass cock slid further inside, the lack of friction against his insides making the glide easy, even as Grian threw his head back as the first two bumps entered him, and he felt the head of the toy _spearing_ him open the deeper it went.

Stress moaned sweetly behind him, pulled her hips back before gently sliding back in, fucking a cry out of him.

She kept repeating the movement, kept up that slow, gentle pace as she worked her strap-on deeper and deeper inside him, making small noises that drowned beneath Grian’s voice as Stress took him apart in her hands.

When the heavy weight of the glass toy pressed down on his prostate, Grian made a small, broken noise as he came. He fell limp in Stress’ arms, but bless her - Stress had been ready for him, and she pressed her chest against his upper body, one of her hands clenching his hips in a grip hard enough for him to _feel_ the bruise forming—

And even as Grian’s knees collapsed from the sheer force of his muscles contracting around the unyielding hardness of the toy, Stress kept his body upright, hips rocking gently against his own as she helped him through the orgasm, making more small, needy noises escape from his mouth until he finally grew quiet.

She held him as he trembled, eyes open and yet unseeing as he stared blankly towards one of the walls, caught up in the way his body was feeling.

Carefully, Stress pulled the glass cock out, but Grian’s only reaction was to twitch whenever one of the bumps got pulled out of him - until, finally, he was empty, his hole still fluttering with the aftershocks of his orgasm.

Stress wrapped her arms around him firmly once more, before wrestling the two of them across the room and then down to the floor, arranging them until they were resting on something soft, and Grian’s head was pillowed in her lap.

  
  
  


Grian felt himself settle into his own body to the feeling of gentle fingers combing through his hair. He blinked up at her, and found that Stress was already looking at him, expression warm and eyes kind and gentle.

Stress smiled at him when she noticed him focusing, “How are ya feeling, love? I hope I wasn’t too hard on ya,” she said, and though the words were meant to be joking, Grian could hear in her tone that she was uncertain.

“Thank you, Stress - it was perfect. I feel… well, really fucked out, to be honest, but that’s one of the things I love about being with you,” Grian smiled, reaching one hand up to cup her cheek, making her giggle as she turned her face into his palm. “Thank you for always being so good to me.”

Stress’ smile softened, and she pressed a kiss to his thumb. “You’re welcome, love. Ya know I never pass down an opportunity to shag a handsome lad silly,” she said, almost conspiringly, and the two of them delved into laughter, bodies curling in on each other as they sat on top of the soft, carpeted floor.

They spent some time chatting and cuddling, both of them enjoying the other’s company. Grian considered asking Stress if he could spend the night, but… he realised that he craved to be alone, for a bit, just until the morning. It wasn’t really like him, but when it came down to it - Grian had spent quite a lot of time socialising lately, with little to no time just to himself.

Grian told Stress as much, gentle whispers and reassuring replies being exchanged between them as the world slowly grew calmer as dusk was approaching.

Stress sighed wistfully. “I had been planning to invite ya to stay for the night, but I can’t say that I blame ya for needing the time to recharge. Will ya be alright, though?”

Grian wrapped one arm around her soft stomach, pressing his cheek against her thighs as he said, “I will be,” he promised. “And if I’m not, I’ll send you a message. Or Mumbo, or Iskall, or Scar. There’s plenty of hermits in the jungle I can contact, if something were to happen, Stress.”

“I know,” Stress said, smiling even as she was shaking her head, making her brown hair bounce around her face. “I’m just worried for ya, in case ya have a sub drop or something. You’ve been playing kind of rough the past few days, haven’t ya?”

Grian squeezed her reassuringly. “I know. And I promise to text you if I do start feeling bad, okay?”

Stress brushed his fringe away from his forehead, and leaned down to kiss above his brows. “Okay, love. Be safe, a’ight? And don’t think for a moment I’m letting ya climb that ladder without shoving a potion of healing in ya.”

He replied on instinct, the same teasingly monotone reply he’d picked up from Iskall, sometime in the last world, “Yes, StressMomster.”

She laughed wildly at that, breath hiccuping as he smiled smugly up at her, but when Stress patted his shoulder for Grian to let her up, he rolled off of her with a grunt as she left to start rummaging through her chests again.

She returned with his clothes and a small glass bottle filled with a pink, sparkly fluid. Stress handed him the bottle first, and Grian rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as he accepted it, downing it in three long sips. When Grian couldn’t help but let a moan of relief escape at the feeling of his aching, overworked muscles knitting themselves back together, bruises evening out and raw skin smoothing over, Stress was gracious enough not to mention it.

Grian got dressed, and Stress followed him up the ladder, hugging him goodbye and sending him off with a pinch to his butt as she giggled at the way he jumped, and Grian climbed into his boat before starting to row back towards his hobbit hole.

He… really didn’t want to be with people, right now, but Grian hesitated to actually go back to his own base, anyway. He almost had a week done of the challenge to get a streak of thirty one days spent in another hermits' bed—

Grian kept the jungle to his right as he made his way across the water when he saw Mumbo’s starter base. The lights were off, and Grian hesitated. It was still too early to sleep… maybe Mumbo wasn’t home?

An idea filled Grian’s head, and he hurriedly turned the boat towards the shore.

When he walked down the path towards the entrance of Mumbo’s (inferior) hobbit hole, Grian didn’t bother knocking, in case the taller man, for some reason, _was_ home and actually asleep. As Grian moved through the dark rooms as quietly as he could, he slowly made his way up to Mumbo’s bedroom— And Grian sighed in relief.

No Mumbo. Grian took out his axe and made quick work of the bed, putting it into his own inventory. He made his way downstairs, about to turn back towards the front door - when Mumbo’s nether portal caught his eye. And once more, an idea came to Grian’s mind.

A wide grin pulled at Grian’s lips, and he giggled to himself as he brought up his pickaxe. He started digging out a room _behind_ the portal, just a simple, carefully concealed hollow - and he unceremoniously plopped the bed down in the middle. 

Perfect.

Grian wrote down his coordinates quickly, knowing this would be the perfect spot for him to link up the tunnel he was digging from his own base to Mumbo’s.

Then, Grian climbed into the bed and went to sleep, the early hour be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Run the World (Girls) - Beyoncé


	10. Sleep through your alarms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A well deserved break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes for this chapter and the next!  
> -It felt more natural to split it up in two parts, to really drive home the fact that Grian has *not* been pacing himself in this story. Let him rest...  
> -Chapter 10 and 11 will be a bit on the heavier side, emotionally. I'll update the tags as always, so make sure to check them out before reading!
> 
> Other than that, enjoy!

~ * ~

Grian woke up with a start as the up-until-then white noise of Mumbo’s nether portal turned into a roar, before quieting back down.

He rubbed his eyes, disoriented from the lack of natural lighting and what felt like too much time spent sleeping. Grian stepped out of bed, picking it back up before stepping through the portal to discreetly place Mumbo’s bed back where he’d found it.

There was no trace that the taller man had been back at all during the night, and so Grian didn’t feel too bad about leaving Mumbo without a place to sleep - apparently, Mumbo had either never gone back home at all, too busy working on a project… or he’d found elsewhere to spend the night.

Grian still felt a bit out of it by the time he arrived back at his hobbit hole, but he grabbed some carrots and started munching on them in lieu of preparing an actual meal, and then he settled in to read the chat - it had almost become a routine, by that point, even if that morning only marked the beginning of Grian’s second week in the new world.

The moment his eyes found the achievement he’d gotten with Stress’ help the previous night, his eyes widened, his food momentarily forgotten.

_Grian has made the achievement [Gold hoe]_

That was it. _Gold hoe._ No _Conquer the mountain._

The mystery of the missing achievement was still unsolved - and Grian felt a spark of irritation burst through him. Who in the world might the hermit be? Either someone Grian hadn’t had the opportunity to sleep with in the previous world, or one of the returning hermits from seasons past that Grian had never met.

Grian was typing a private message to Xisuma before he’d properly made up his mind to do so.

_ <Grian> X _

_ <Grian> please _

_ <Grian> i need your help. i’m losing my mind, here _

_ <Grian> who is the hermit with the biggest dick??? _

No immediate reply came, even after Grian spent a few moments staring at the dark screen to make sure. He switched back over to the general chat, hoping the reactions of his fellow hermits would be enough to brighten his mood.

_ <JoeHills> 10 partners is a nice, even number, perfectly representing the return of the balance between the ongoing battles of one Grian and Docm77 in the previous world, where Grian, somehow, always manages to defeat the arts of the uphill battle as he continuously manages to rise to the top. _

_ <JoeHills> GG! _

_ <ZombieCleo> i say! splendidly done, young grasshopper _

_ <JoeHills> Alas! I wonder how long our underdog will be able to keep his momentum going, for surely the goat will not accept this defeat laying down. _

_Rendog joined the game._

_ <ZombieCleo> we all look forward to the inevitable clash between the mutts and the bovidae, the final frontier that has a promising outlook of becoming the greatest climax of the season! _

_ <Rendog> … _

_ <ZombieCleo> oh, hi Ren! :D _

_Rendog has left the game._

_ <JoeHills> F _

_ <ZombieCleo> wAIT NO WE WEREN’T TALKING ABOUT YOU— _

Grian was wheezing, his earlier frustration forgotten as he lost himself in the familiar comforting antics that his friends never failed to get up to. He was distracted by the incoming notification telling him that Xisuma had finally replied to his private message though, and the previous irritation came back to him in an instant.

_ <Xisuma> … _

_ <Xisuma> If I told you that, I’d have to kill you :’D _

Grian snorted, before typing his reply.

_ <Grian> no, not like gossip or anything _

_ <Xisuma> Oh? _

_ <Grian> the ACHIEVEMENT, man! i just don’t get it _

_ <Grian> i fucked doc last season, and i was pretty sure it was going to be him _

_ <Grian> but then i slept with BEEF _

_ <Grian> and i STILL didn’t get the achievement! _

_ <Xisuma> I see. _

_ <Grian> and THEN _

_ <Xisuma> Uh oh _

Grian paid Xisuma no mind as he kept typing at a frantic speed.

_ <Grian> i asked stress to try fucking me with her biggest strap on _

_ <Xisuma> This early in the season?? _

_ <Grian> AND THAT DIDNT WORK, EITHER _

_ <Grian> yes _

_ <Xisuma> Oh dear _

_ <Grian> so you’ve got to tell me. is the achievement just bugged out? or have i simply not found the hermit with the biggest dick yet?? _

Grian started anxiously tapping his fingers against his own thigh as he awaited the admin’s response.

_ <Xisuma> Grian… _

_ <Grian> yes? _

_ <Xisuma> Tell me what the description of the achievement is? _

Grian frowned. Maybe it _was_ bugged out? He pulled the list of achievements up, and typed the description out before sending it to Xisuma.

_ <Grian> _ _conquer the mountain - get fucked by the biggest dick on the server_

_ <Grian> what about it, X? is it broken?? _

_ <Xisuma> Grian… where does it say that the dick needs to belong to a hermit? _

Grian felt his stomach drop.

Surely, Xisuma couldn’t mean… And, _y_ _eah,_ it was technically a hostile mob, but—

_ <Grian> oh fuck _

_ <Xisuma> :D _

_ <Grian> it’s the fucking ender dragon. _

  
  
  


Grian felt kind of hollow by the time he’d thanked Xisuma for his help, and finished eating the carrots that had become somewhat flavourless in his mouth.

He had felt really good about his progress with the challenges thus far, and it had all been in good fun - but Doc had challenged him to complete _every_ achievement on the list… and in that moment, it just didn’t seem possible.

_(Grian knew that it was. He_ knew _that there had to be some kind of twist or tweak or_ something, _otherwise Xisuma never would have agreed to add the achievement, but right now, Grian felt too exhausted to care.)_

He shoved his communicator away, and he put his plans for the day on hold. He needed a break, some time to recharge his batteries, and so Grian made plans within his own mind to steal Mumbo’s bed again when night came. Then, he got to work on digging the tunnel to Mumbo’s base. He’d rather not have to run through the jungle again, and Grian wasn’t likely lucky enough for Mumbo’s base to be vacant when Grian snuck in for the second night in a row.

Digging was monotone, repetitive. It made his shoulders and back ache in a pleasant way, and Grian found his anxious thoughts happily quiet the longer he worked.

At some point, the rumbling in his stomach could no longer be ignored though, and with a small sigh, Grian turned to head back the tunnel towards his base.

Nothing he had stored in his chests really appealed to him, so Grian settled with grabbing some more carrots.

Grian had just sat down on his crafting bench to eat when there was a knocking at the door.

He raised his head, wondering who’d come visiting him - Grian hadn’t checked his communicator, and so he had no idea who to expect—

When he walked the short distance to open the door, Ren’s smiling face greeted him from the other side.

“Ren?” Grian asked, happy but confused. “What are you doing here?”

Ren took a few steps inside the room when Grian walked to the side to allow him in. Ren said, “Haven’t you checked your comm, dude? Stress has been worried about you, and when Stress is worried, False is worried. And when False is worried, I’m _hella_ worried.”

“Oh,” Grian said, feeling a bit faint. He pulled out his forgotten communicator, and looked at the recent messages.

_ <Stressmonster101> congratz on the lead, love! i had a lot of fun last night <3 _

In a private message, Stress had sent him another text.

_ <Stressmonster101> i know it wasn't the achievement u wanted, but at least it’s somefin! i still cant believe that that didn't work tho :O how are u holding up? _

Grian felt guilt begin to churn in his stomach. Ren was reading along over his shoulder as Grian switched back to the general chat.

_ <FalseSymmetry> Hi Stress! _

_ <Stressmonster101> heya falsie <3 _

_ <FalseSymmetry> You’ve been having fun? ;) _

_ <Stressmonster101> yes lol! _

_ <Stressmonster101> but... i’m starting to get a bit worried that grian ain’t responding to anyone _

_ <FalseSymmetry> Have you tried sending him a private message? _

_ <Stressmonster101> i have :( _

_ <FalseSymmetry> Weird :/ _

_ <FalseSymmetry> Hey, gang? Has anyone heard from Grian since last night? _

A chorus of ‘no’s followed from the hermits that were available, and Grian’s guilt only got worse the more he read.

_ <Stressmonster101> u dont fink he’s had a drop of some kind, do ya? _

_ <FalseSymmetry> It’s possible, I guess… I hope not though _

_ <Stressmonster101> he said he wanted to be alone _

_ <Stressmonster101> ...falsie? u don’t fink i hurt him, do ya? _

Grian closed the chat. He couldn’t read anymore, not right now. Tears of shame were forcing their way past his defenses, and a choked off sob tore from his chest at how _bad_ he was feeling for the other hermits - for _Stress,_ who had apparently been so _worried_ for him while he had just been ignoring them all like a _selfish—_

“Come here, dude,” Ren said, voice calm and compassionate as he reached for Grian to draw the smaller man up against his chest.

Grian went willingly, slumping against Ren’s form with a shudder. Grian pressed his face against the crook of Ren’s arm, trying to block out the world for a bit - this was all too much for him, right now.

“Why don’t we go to my place, yeah? I’ll let the others know you’re safe, and I’ll feel better, too, knowing you’re not alone or working yourself half to death.”

Grian nodded, face still pressing against Ren’s arm as his tears leaked into the fabric of Ren’s tattered shirt. The other man had, somehow, in that intuitive way Ren always seemed to be, managed to quell Grian’s doubts around the suggestion before Grian’s overworked mind had had the time to finish voicing its protests.

Ren would talk to the others for him, easing the pressure for the time being. He wouldn’t be a burden to the other man, because Ren had told Grian that he’d be stressing more if he knew Grian was alone in his current state.

When Ren wrapped an arm around him and led Grian out to the shore, where a dark wooden boat was waiting, Grian was happy to settle in the back, letting his forehead rest against Ren’s broad shoulders as the taller man rowed the two of them towards Loser Island.

Grian found the name more fitting than ever.

Ren, seeming to sense that Grian was not in a very talkative mood, filled the silence with comfortable and lighthearted chatting, talking about his day and projects and anything and everything that seemed to cross his mind. Grian was thankful that the other man didn’t seem to expect Grian to answer, and so he didn’t feel bad when he let his eyes slip shut as he just listened, Ren’s soothing voice drifting over him like a blanket.

Soon enough, the sound of the bottom of the boat scraping over sand could be heard, and Grian opened his eyes to find that they had arrived at Ren’s base.

The building looked even more grand than the last time Grian had seen it, more details and another floor having been added. Grian didn’t comment on it, but when Ren talked about the changes he’d made to the base as he helped Grian out of the boat, Grian nodded along, eyes following along the parts Ren was describing.

They made their way upstairs, and Ren let Grian get settled on the bed. “I’ll bring us both some food, okay? And then we can cuddle, and talk, if you want to. Or not, no pressure. Does that sound okay?”

Grian nodded, silently watching as Ren returned to the downstairs area.

He let himself slump back down against the pillows, head turning to the side so he could watch the horizon outside. Grian didn’t know when it had gotten late enough for the sun to be setting, but that _did_ explain why he’d been so hungry by the time he’d stopped digging.

Ren came back bearing two plates of steak, and Grian accepted his plate with a nod. The two of them ate in silence, sitting side by side as they leaned against the headboard of the bed, watching the sunset.

When Grian’s plate was empty, Ren took it from his hands and stacked the dishes on top of one another, before placing them on the floor beside the bed. And then, once Ren’s hands were free, Grian found himself drawn back to the taller man’s chest once again, and he settled into the warmth of the embrace with a soft sigh.

“I told the others that you were fine, and that I have stolen you away for the time being. I’m a very greedy man, according to Stress, for not even letting you have your communicator while I - and I quote - _‘ravage you like a beast for a whole day, making everyone worry’.”_

Grian snorted, and then he realised what Ren was saying in between the lines.

“Wait,” Grian said, voice scratchy. “You took on the blame for me being inactive?”

“Yeah,” Ren said.

Grian sank deeper into Ren’s arms. He wanted to feel bad, but… “You didn’t have to do that. But… thank you.”

Grian felt _relieved._

Ren pressed a kiss to the top of Grian’s head. “No worries, dude. I saw that Stress told the others that you’d said that you wanted to be alone - I just figured this was the easiest way to stop the hermits from hounding you down to shower you with affection.” Then, Ren snorted out a short laugh, “So in a way, I guess Stress was right - I _am_ a bit of a greedy bastard.”

“You’re not,” Grian murmured. “You’re incredibly selfless, you know?”

Ren chuckled, arms tightening around Grian for just a moment. “Thank you, dude.”

They drifted into silence as the world grew dark around them. And Grian felt safer than he had in a long time as he let sleep claim him, happily caged in between Ren’s arms.

  
  
  


The next morning, Grian woke up to the smell of cookies.

“Are you hungry?” Ren asked when he saw that Grian was awake. The taller man had been hanging up some paintings on the other side of the room, but when Grian had shifted on the bed, Ren had turned to look at him. “I stole some of the cocoa beans growing outside your base before I picked you up last night, so I decided to bake some cookies this morning. How are you feeling, dude?”

Grian sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “I could eat,” he admitted, voice groggy with sleep. “And I feel better. Thank you, Ren - really. You’re a good friend.”

Ren beamed at him. “You’re not half bad, yourself! Hold on, let me fetch the goods.”

They enjoyed some tea and cookies in bed for a late breakfast. In between bites, Grian slowly began telling Ren about the no-longer-mysterious achievement of _Conquer the mountain._ He told Ren about his day with Etho and Beef, and the following afternoon with Stress. And finally, Grian told him about his chat with Xisuma, and the following bout of anxiety and numbness he’d felt when he’d found out about the dragon.

By the time Grian was done, the plate of cookies had run empty, and Grian’s tea, still clutched between his hands, had grown lukewarm. He still finished it in one long dreg, wincing at the bitter aftertaste.

Ren was quiet for a while. Then, he said, “You’re kind of a dummy, huh?”

Grian startled, and then he let out a disbelieving giggle. “I mean - _sure,_ dude, but what’s the reason this time?”

“You know that we’ve added lots of tweaks to make the achievements easier, right? The dragon is smaller, and if you splash it with a potion - a lot less murder-y. I know Doc, and he wouldn’t have challenged you to do something if he thought it would have real consequences for your well-being, dude.”

Grian did feel kind of stupid, because the same thought had hit him the day before, and yet he’d let his worries get to him. He’d been overreacting, and he’d ended up _hurting_ people—

“But,” Ren continued, voice growing softer, “I also understand that you freaked out. You were already going through intense scenes without giving yourself any time in between to let your mind process them, and even if I know that you _do_ pay special attention to getting proper aftercare - you’re still not immune to sub drops, you know?”

“Oh,” Grian said. When Ren put it like _that…_ “I didn’t realise that that might be why I was overreacting so much. Like, I _knew_ that there would have to be some kind of trick to the dragon this season, what with all the mobfucking, but… It still got to me. I guess now I know why.”

Ren nodded sympathetically beside him. “Drops are no fun. And from now on, I want you to pace yourself out a little bit more, dude, okay? You told me before that Doc gave you until the end of the season to complete the list, so there’s no reason to try and finish them all within a couple of weeks.”

Grian slumped a bit down in the bed. Then, he redecided - and moved until he could slump over Ren, instead. Face pressed against the other man’s thighs, he said, voice muffled, “Okay. Thank you.”

“No problem, dude. I just wanted to remind you to have fun with this, okay? Sure, there’s the challenge aspect - but it’s no good if you’re forcing yourself to do it. And it’s no fun if someone gets hurt, either— _Seriously_ hurt, not fun-hurt,” Ren added, and Grian could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Yeah. You’re right,” Grian murmured.

“Of course I am,” Ren said. “I may be stupid, but I’m no idiot.”

Grian snorted. “I guess the same can’t be said for me?”

“No, you’re an idiot, but not stupid. We’re both dumb, but in opposite ways,” Ren said, and Grian broke out in tired giggles that Ren soon joined him in.

He was truly lucky to have such amazing friends - friends that would not stand by to watch him stick with his nonsense without a comment. Friends who, instead, would gently offer their love, a hand to support him and a shoulder to cry on. It was enough for Grian to feel his heart throb in his chest at the very idea of it. So, when Ren offered for Grian to stay for a couple of days, to relax and make sure he was truly okay, Grian accepted it with only the smallest twinge of doubt.

It was in the early afternoon of the third day since Ren showed up at Grian’s base. Ren was fishing from the pier of Loser Island while Grian went for a swim, keeping close to the beach by Ren’s side, when Grian asked, “Hey, Ren?”

Ren made a noncommittal sound, letting Grian know he’d heard him.

“When I feel ready to start working at the achievements again… do you think you could help me out that first time? I figured it’d be better to have someone around who would be aware of the issue by the time the aftercare begins,” Grian explained, feeling slightly hesitant - but he knew that even if Ren disagreed, Grian would most likely be okay. He just hoped he wasn’t putting Ren in an uncomfortable position by asking—

“Sweet, dude! I’d love to,” Ren said with a wide grin, eyes lighting up. “Man, I’m so happy you asked me, I’d been hoping for you to want to pick back up where we left things last time, but I knew you were busy with the challenge, so I didn’t want to disturb you—”

Grian spoke up, cutting Ren off mid-sentence. “You could never disturb me, Ren.” Grian met Ren’s eyes with a look that didn’t leave any room for arguing, _daring_ the other man to protest the statement.

Luckily, Ren didn’t. He just met Grian’s eyes with a soft look of his own, smirk growing gentler until he was smiling sweetly at Grian.

“That makes me… really happy. And yes, I’d love to help you.” Then, Ren’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that reminds me! The full moon is coming up in a few days, and I wondered if that might be up your alley? Maybe we could figure out a way to incorporate it with one of your achievements?” Ren suggested, looking hopeful.

Grian’s eyes widened with excitement. “Oh, that would be so much fun! It’s been too long since we spent a full moon together. I’m sure we can think of something, but even if we can’t, I’d still love to spend the night with you,” Grian said, sending Ren a warm smile.

“Aww, that warms my heart, G.”

After that, they got to planning. Ren seemed to be almost as excited as Grian was, both during the suggestion-phase and the actual planning. Once they had a rough outline sketched out, Ren seemed to get _really_ invested, and Grian himself would be lying if he said he himself was faring much better.

The plan was risky - but then again, it was supposed to be.

After all, they didn’t mean for Grian to come out of it alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Sleep thru ur alarms - Lontalius


	11. In the Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Too much of a good thing] Get a sex-related death message in the chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ren is back for another chapter! And now, some warnings. This chapter depicts consensual non-consent. There is rough play, blood, violence and fear. There is also a safeword, other people watching over the scene, kink negotiation and the beginnings of aftercare, which will be picked up in the next chapter. Read at your own caution - and have fun!

~ * ~

They planned out the scene. Took their time, and went over every detail, every uncertainty about what could go wrong, and what they would do if so-and-so happened.

They had safeguards - Grian would be having Xisuma on speed dial, just in case. The admin had also been informed of the time and place for him and Ren’s planned nighttime activities, and Xisuma would be ready to assist them in case the need arose. He would check up on them periodically, and be waiting to provide temporary aftercare while Ren was still occupied.

Ren and Grian had also worked out a system for how the safeword would work. That part had been trickier than it would seem - on the night of the full moon, Ren’s transformation would make it harder for him to be able to communicate, but it wasn’t impossible.

They’d decided that Grian would keep some splash water bottles on hand. The shock of suddenly being dunked _should_ be enough to make Ren pay attention. Grian had also made it absolutely clear that he knew and accepted the risk, and that there was a reason they’d teamed up with the admin of the server to assure Grian’s safety to the best of their ability.

Plans and general outlines were figured out, and then they started looking for the appropriate location. They had something very specific in mind, and once they’d found what they were looking for, they took a painstakingly long amount of time making sure the area was properly lit up to avoid any unwanted mob spawning.

Everything was set up.

Grian felt rested, and by the night of the full moon he was itching to get started. An hour before the moon was due to rise, he took his sweet time getting ready. He prepared himself, and he made sure to place a slim plug in himself, just enough to keep himself slick and somewhat open for when the scene was due to begin.

Ren would already be waiting for him at the location, spawn set just in case. He’d texted Grian with the exact coordinates, so that Grian himself could set his spawn in the same spot.

Then, Grian started going into the scene, the role he was meant to fulfill.

  
  
  


He needed totems of undying. He was overdue to become airborne, and the yearn he felt to don his elytra and soar through the skies once more… it was enough for him to know that if he wanted to prepare for his inevitable meeting with the dragon, he’d need all the help he could get. A few extra chances at life would surely come in handy.

There were only two ways to obtain the rare totems. Evokers could spawn during a raid, but there was no guarantee that they would - and there would also be the other illagers, witches, and the fearsome ravagers to deal with in the meantime.

Thus, Grian was much more excited about option two. That’s why, just before night came and there would be fewer monsters spawning inside the building - Grian started making his way over to a woodland mansion.

It was quite a journey to get to the mansion, but seeing as most of the trip was spent in a boat, Grian was making good speed. When his boat hit the shore, the dark roofed forest looming only a few steps away, the sun was just beginning to set, and the moon was hanging full and heavy in the sky.

He started walking, knowing that the woodland mansion would be hidden somewhere inside the dark forest.

Grian shuddered as he felt the coldness of night start creeping in on him, and the unpredictable rustles that the gusts of wind made as they travelled through the leaves made him startle in the dwindling light.

He heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps - the trampling of grass, small sticks and decayed plant matter crackling drily as they snapped underneath feet. Grian started running. He just needed to find the mansion and then scaffold onto the roof—

Grian rushed through the forest as everything grew darker and darker around him. More noises sounded from the forest around him, but Grian barely picked up on it as the pounding of blood was loud in his ears as he ran, the air screaming as it rushed by his ears, his own harsh breaths rattling around in his ribcage.

He skimmed by the edge of a tree, too close - Grian winced when the skin of his left arm scraped against it, and it _hurt,_ even through his sweater.

Grian kept running, heart pounding and the muscles of his legs burning with the speed he was forcing his limbs to move at. He cried out, more from fear than pain, when his legs unexpectedly carried him through a berry field. Grian hadn’t seen it in the dark, and the sharp sting of the thorns against his legs was enough for him to tell that his jeans had been ripped by the plants.

Finally, the mansion was in front of him. The main entrance was lit up, but the surrounding small clearing was not, and Grian almost fell over as his momentum changed when he suddenly froze at the sight in front of him. Skeletons, zombies, creepers, _endermen—_

He turned back to face the forest, and from his peripheral Grian swore he saw something. Something _big,_ something that was _moving._ He did his best to ignore it, pushing his legs to run again, just for a little while longer.

A loud snarl sounded behind him, unlike the sounds from any of the mobs Grian thought he knew. That last burst of fear, the shock of adrenaline, was what allowed Grian to finally pick up the same pace he’d run at before. He made a half-circle around the large building, and he turned sharply to run back in towards one of the windowless sections of the wall. The beast was close on his heels, and Grian blinked through the sweat in his eyes as he heard the sound of jaws snapping, followed by a spine-crawling growl.

As Grian burst through the trees lining the back of the mansion, the creature seemed to hesitate, and that was all the time Grian needed.

He placed the dirt blocks beneath himself two at a time as he scaffolded upwards as fast as his trembling hands would allow him to. When Grian was halfway up the side of the building, he paused to look down.

There was no sight of the beast.

Grian let out a shivery exhale. That had been close. _Too_ close. Grian hadn’t even made it inside the mansion yet, and he’d already almost been killed. It would be better once Grian knew he had set his spawn, and delved into the inside of the dark building. There was a reason Grian had decided to go at night, after all.

He finished scaling the mansion, and the roof was blessedly lit up and free from monsters. The bed was waiting for him right where Ren had promised him it would, and Grian hurried to set his spawn before something could happen. He had a bad feeling about this place, and Ren was nowhere in sight.

Grian sighed. If Ren hadn’t made it over by now, he’d probably not make it over alive. Grian sent him a quick private message not to worry about making it, and then Grian put his valuables away. There would be no need to lose his enchanted diamond gear inside the mansion when he didn’t have backup to help him get it back in case he died.

And finally, Grian pulled out the plug. It was such an out of place thing to do that it almost broke the scene for him, but—

No. He’d wanted to be prepared, just in case he and Ren would have wanted to celebrate after getting what they came for, of course. That was the reason he’d kept it inside, and why he decided to remove it when he realised Ren wasn’t going to show up.

Armed with splash bottles of water and healing both, some cooked steak, a shield and an unenchanted iron sword, Grian walked over to the already broken window. He slipped inside, feet landing on the thick carpet with a gentle thud.

Grian started sneaking around the upper floor of the woodland mansion. It was bright enough inside for him to be able to see clearly, and though the halls were blessedly empty, Grian couldn’t help but to feel a sense of dread creeping up on him. Usually, there would be zombies and skeletons and creepers galore inside the wooden halls, but now it was disconcertingly empty.

A shiver made its way down his spine as he snuck down the halls, passing empty room after empty room. He had just started to wonder if the mansion had already been emptied out, when he turned a corner—

There was a creature there unlike any mob Grian had ever seen before.

It was bigger and taller than a player, hunched over in a terrifying blend of human and animal traits, from the clawed hands to the sharp teeth that was bared in a snarl, pointed ears that lay flat against the creature’s head, to the somehow familiar, blue eyes, and the ripped fabrics clinging to the beast’s frame, reminding Grian of gentle eyes and a friendly smile, of safety and laughter and the smell of cookies in the morning.

He took in the way it was shaped like a man, covered in deep brown fur, with the face of a wolf and the stance and size of a predator. He recognised the sounds of the creature that had chased him in the forest.

Grian closed his eyes. And then he ran.

Grian’s legs were protesting that decision immediately, already heavy and aching from his earlier round of vigorous running. Grian didn’t care, he didn’t listen to his screaming muscles—

He just ran. Past open doors and wide arches, past the surprised faces and scowling eyes that belonged to the mobs that resided within the rooms.

Grian was red-faced, making terrified noises on every shrill exhale, body aching and heart pounding - and he turned a corner to find himself faced with a dead end. His feet slid on the carpet with how suddenly he stopped moving, carrying his momentum as he shrieked—

He fell to the carpeted floor with a groan, and despite how the wool had dampened the fall, he could still feel his right side bruising with how hard he’d gone down.

Grian didn’t have more time to worry about it before a terrifying force was upon him. He was forced down into the carpet, shouting as he felt two big hands press down on his upper back, claws digging into his shoulders. Grian started struggling as soon as he’d caught his breath, only to freeze with a whimper as his stomach dropped at the feeling of sharp teeth pressing threateningly into the sides of his neck.

A gust of warm breath blew over him, and Grian shivered at the ticklish feeling to his skin. He kept carefully still as terrified tears started leaking from his eyes, dripping down on the carpet before disappearing - Grian knew just how close he was to getting killed. At any moment, the beast’s jaws could snap shut, or the sharp claws could rip him to pieces. Grian couldn’t even access his sword—

The beast growled, and then the teeth pulled away from his skin. Grian whined, confused, but he was still too terrified to move.

A cold, damp nose pressed into the crook of his neck. Grian twitched at the unexpected feeling, but otherwise kept still. The creature sniffed at him, before it started rumbling, deep in its chest. Grian shivered at the sound. _What…_

The sharp claws pressing into his shoulders moved, then - a quick slash, downwards and across his back. Grian yelled at the sharp sting, feeling the shallow cuts growing sticky with blood as the beast continued to tear at Grian’s shirt.

Grian was moving, now, not mindless to his earlier concerns, but it _hurt—_ Pleading sobs were bubbling up his throat before spilling past Grian’s lips, vision blurry with tears and pain and fear as the creature continued tearing Grian’s clothes off of him, piece by piece, leaving him covered in shallow cuts and scratches.

Once Grian’s hoodie was in tatters around him, he was almost relieved, thinking the worst was over. The beast would surely kill him, now.

Warm palms settled on Grian’s sides. He whined, tired from the pain and the crying, confusion filling his mind—

A warm tongue, flat and broad and _nothing_ like a human’s— It was dragging up his back, trailing over every cut and trauma to Grian’s skin, _lapping_ up the blood that was lazily trailing down his sides, following the dip of his spine.

Grian _screamed._

Every pass of the tongue made it feel like the scratches were being made anew, but there was nothing Grian could do to get away from it. The hands were still holding him down, and the tongue was relentless, though the creature stopped to snarl at him, flecking its teeth as it growled, before resuming its work of cleaning Grian’s back of blood.

Grian was almost pliant by the time the beast finished.

His head was swimming with pain and heat and helplessness and fear. He didn’t have the energy to do more than whimper when the beast eased up on the weight holding Grian down, palms dragging from his sides, moving downwards over his hips as it pulled the fabric of Grian’s pants down with it, peeling the layer off of him.

A terrified moan escaped him when Grian first felt the creature’s hands palm the naked skin of his ass.

The prickle of claws didn’t do anything to hide how Grian found the gentler touch almost enjoyable, in comparison to the earlier pain. He wriggled back against the hands, thoughtlessly, and the creature rumbled pleasedly behind him. Once Grian’s pants had been pulled halfway down his thighs, the beast apparently grew tired of the slow pace, and Grian winced when he felt the sharp yank that told him the creature had ripped Grian’s pants the rest of the way off.

Then, one giant palm curled around his upper arm, while another tightened around a fistful of Grian’s hair.

He shouted as he was yanked up, sluggishly struggling against the painful manhandling, until he’d been dragged to turn around, on his hands and knees, facing the creature. Grian froze at what he saw.

The beast’s deep brown fur was more sparse around its lower belly - but that was not what his mind focused on, oh no. It was the fact that the creature’s dick was erect, hard and flushed and curving towards where Grian’s head was being held - _those_ were the facts Grian’s mind froze on, a shiver crawling down his spine.

Grian stuttering exhale danced over the beast’s soft-looking fur, and Grian’s eyes wandered. The size of the dick was big - though, not as big as Stress’ strap-on had been, luckily— and despite the familiar, blunt head Grian was used to seeing, the creature’s dick had a flare at the base of its otherwise human-looking cock—

Grian felt tears escaping his eyes once more when he realised that, like creepers, like the wolves this beast shared so much of its likeness to - this creature had a knot. And Grian was sure it would be big, and that the slim plug Grian had been wearing earlier would be nothing to prepare him for it, if the creature was planning to do what Grian was beginning to fear it was.

To his surprise, the creature didn’t shove Grian onto his back, or pick him up into its arms so it could press its monstrous length inside him, like he’d thought it would.

No, when the beast moved, it was to thrust once, shallowly, against Grian’s face, making him release a terrified whimper as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to turn his face away, making the head of the beast’s cock slide against Grian’s cheek, rather than poke at his mouth or eyes, like he’d been scared it would. The beast snarled at him, and its grip on Grian’s hair tightened, making him yell out at the sharp pain radiating from his scalp—

Grian’s mouth was suddenly filled, jaws forced to open as wide as they could go by the thick width of the dick forcing its way into his mouth. He made a noise of protest, trying to pull away from the beast, but the creature’s big hands were unmoving on Grian’s shoulder and in his hair, keeping him in place as he trembled violently, tears running down his cheeks as he gagged on the beast’s cock.

The beast above him gave a loud, pleased-sounding howl. As it started thrusting shallowly, rocking against Grian’s face and only making him choke _occasionally—_

Grian’s eyes, which had remained closed after the beast had first started thrusting against his face, snapped open. Over the deep rumbling snarls and panting sounds of the creature above him, Grian could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching from behind him, moving quickly and clumsily enough for his ears to pick it up, despite how the carpet was muffling most of the noise.

He remembered, with another sharp twinge of fear that made Grian’s blood run cold, that even if Grian had somehow managed to stumble into the grasps of a beast so strange and unnatural that it didn’t feel like it belonged with the other known hostile mobs at all - _Grian_ certainly hadn’t heard of it—

Even so, there were still other mobs to be found residing within the halls and rooms of the woodland mansion. And the sounds of the beast above him, as well as the chase through the upper floor, seemed to have been enough to lead said mobs directly to them.

Grian heard the angry babbles of the vindicators and evokers growing closer and closer.

He heard it when the illagers turned the last corner, though he still couldn’t see them - the creature was still holding Grian’s head in an iron grip as it fucked into his mouth, not even seeming to care about how Grian’s teeth were occasionally dragging over its flesh when it thrusted against him, drool and tears making a mess of Grian’s face.

Over the slick noises of the beast taking his mouth, as well as his own whimpers and groans, Grian heard the illagers’ footsteps coming to a halt.

For a moment, Grian felt the faintest, most fragile spark of hope light up inside him. Maybe the mobs would be different, exempted, somehow, from the suggestive tweaks that had been added to the new world in order to make some of the achievements possible—

Maybe they would just kill him, he’d be back on the roof and he could sleep the night away. He could wait up there for Ren to join him, he would no longer need to endure this—

Then he heard the sounds of axes being dropped to the floor, of clothes rustling.

And Grian fell limp, then, the heavy realisation that this truly was happening, that he was helpless to stop it and that there was no help coming his way - unless he got a death message in, no one else on the server would even know something was wrong.

The beastly creature roared above him, its hands no longer keeping him still so much as it was holding him up. Grian was still on his hands and knees, if only because his legs had already cramped up so much from all the running, and the bite of the rug against his naked skin was already giving him a carpet burn wherever he stayed in contact with it, the creature’s movements making Grian move, too - just enough for the friction to hurt.

Grian felt hopelessness lodge itself in his throat, making it hard to breathe and harder to swallow the spit in his mouth before more of it could escape from the corners of his mouth.

Then, the first pair of hands were on him. As he felt his hips being gripped tightly, Grian didn’t have the time to do more than let out a small, terrified whimper against the beast’s cock - and then the first illager’s dick was moved in between his cheeks. Grian squeezed his thighs together, clenching down so as not to allow the mob to enter him. He heard the mob growl out its complaint above him, its displeased tone obvious.

Grian’s eyes widened when he heard the sound of an evoker starting to summon its magic - though whether that meant the powerful, fang-like attack… or _vexes,_ Grian couldn’t be sure.

At least, not until he heard a sound that reminded him of phantoms swooping down to prey on unsuspecting players, albeit _smaller,_ somehow, and echoing through the air in a way that made Grian momentarily doubt if he’d actually heard anything at all—

Faint, distorted giggling sounded by Grian’s ear, as multiple high-pitched voices started cackling and whispering in an overwhelming cacophony of sounds that made Grian’s head spin, making him press _closer_ to the unknown beast in front of him, just so he’d be farther away from the monsters he _knew._

The head of the beast’s dick pressed down Grian’s throat as he fought the creature’s grip on him in order to get away from the terrifying screeches and near-hysterical giggling that was echoing in Grian’s head, making it feel like his eardrums were about to burst—

And then, the shrill voices faded into whispers and the fluttering of wings, and Grian realised two things at once.

One - the beast had, in Grian’s panicked scrambling to get away from the vexes, had apparently decided to move on from the relaxed thrusts it had been doing. Now, Grian’s face was being held completely still between two huge hands as the creature slowly fucked his face. The pace was still shallow, but the amount of times the head of the beast’s cock pressed uncomfortably down Grian’s throat had increased with the change of movement.

And, two - Grian could no longer move his legs. He felt the gentle draft that always seemed to drift through the giant mansions, the air drifting over the newly exposed skin between his legs, making him shiver as it chilled the lube that Grian had worked inside himself earlier to prepare for the plug, some of it having leaked out of him during his chase down the halls. The cold, wet sensation was too close to feeling _good._

When he’d tried to close his legs once more, he found that he couldn’t. It made him start to panic, because it felt _nothing_ like being restrained. In fact, there was no physical force for Grian to fight against at all, no grips or ropes or chains wrapped around his limbs, holding him down.

Then, he heard another gleeful peal of laughter, sounding from _inside his own head,_ the sound reverberating through him in a way he knew it _shouldn’t_ \- and Grian realised what the vexes had done.

He knew the small mobs could phase through blocks. Grian hadn’t considered the possibility that they could phase through - or _inside_ \- players as well.

Grian’s legs couldn’t move because the physics of the world considered him a glitch. It would only last until the vexes moved, or when they died from having exhausted their limited amount of magic given to them by the evokers.

The hands that had left his hips after Grian had tried to resist the illager were back, kneading at his hips as Grian felt the thick head of the mob’s dick rutting against his backside. Grian whimpered, knowing what was coming next.

Something inside of him gave up the moment he felt the mob thrusting inside him, the airy giggles of the vexes echoing around him and through him as he let his muscles go lax with resignation.

The beast moved Grian’s head, forcing his mouth to accept the creature’s length again and again. Grian’s breaths had grown shallow, and he was whining and crying, feeling used, _dirty._ The illager grunted when it bottomed out. Grian winced - the mob was endowed pretty much the same as a player, if a bit wider and shorter, overall. The way the illager had forced its way inside him all the way, not giving Grian the time to adjust, nor the option to voice his opinion at all, was enough to leave Grian feeling overwhelmed, breath catching on a high, shrill noise—

The illager’s hips drew back, before _slamming_ back in. Grian _screamed._

The friction was too much, Grian’s body was still buzzing from the adrenaline, fear, pain, the shame and humiliation. The overwhelming and unwanted sensation of brutal pleasure that was forced on him when the mob scraped over Grian’s prostate was not a welcome feeling.

Whether he welcomed it or not, he was forced to take it. And so, he screamed, only for the sound to be choked off when the beast once again drew Grian in by the head, _burrowing_ down his throat as it finally bottomed out, grinding in, just once - and then it pulled back out, leaving Grian spasming and coughing, almost choking again when the beast _still_ didn’t leave his mouth completely.

Another hard thrust from behind, and then Grian _was_ choking again, but this time it was because of the illager, rather than the beast in front of him. Grian whined once his throat was free for him to do so, and he felt weak and dizzy, his body opening up to accept both intrusions even if Grian despicted it.

The illager grunted again, and the grip on Grian’s hips tightened until the hands were digging painfully into his skin. Grian panted, just before the cock in his mouth was pressed down his throat again. The beast held him there, held him _still,_ as the illager started pounding into Grian, hard and fast and rough and too much, _too much—_

Grian felt his hands twitch, eyes tightly shut as he grabbed onto the woolen carpet as best as he could - he _needed_ something to hold on to, to ground himself, or he’d lose his mind.

His body was being assaulted with too many sensations, none of them good. His back was aching, both from the cuts and scrapes, but now also from how Grian was being forced to bend as he was being taken forcefully from both sides.

Grian despised the way he could _feel_ his body reacting to the friction. The force of his own shame and frustration was enough to leave him winded, and as the illager gave a particularly hard and brutal thrust against him, Grian lost himself to his own mindspace as he came.

Soon after, the illager followed, leaving Grian spent and his hole leaking from the rough way the mob had pulled out of him before stepping away. Grian felt hazy, and when another illager stepped out of the crowd of mobs, immediately grabbing a hold of Grian’s waist before thrusting inside of him, Grian let out a soft noise around the beast’s cock.

The harsh thrusts were easier to take, now. The current illager sounded different from the last, and in the back of Grian’s mind he recognised it as the sounds of an evoker, grunting and snarling at him occasionally as it thrust inside him, again and again.

Grian let the mobs do with him as they pleased. He was powerless to stop them, and so he didn’t even try. 

At least, not until he heard the sound of an evoker channelling magic once more, and the giggles and gusts of air that followed the vexes rang clear, grating on Grian’s eardrums. The evoker currently fucking him finished with a shout, spilling inside him as Grian cried out against the beast.

The deeper growl of a vindicator, now that Grian had paid enough attention to the mobs’ voices to tell the difference, approached him. Grian expected for it to enter him immediately, which was why he whined in confusion when he felt hands settling on the cheeks of his ass, spreading him open. More come leaked out of him, and Grian felt his hole twitch. His face was burning, he couldn’t even _imagine_ how big of a mess he looked—

The vindicator gave a displeased grunt, and the hands let go. Grian reflexively tried to close his legs, but he realised he could no longer hear the vexes that had been summoned, which meant - more giggles echoed _through_ him, and yeah, Grian was still unable to move. He tried to sob, only for his head to be yanked towards the beast’s groin, Grian’s throat being stuffed full as the creature grinded Grian’s head down.

It _burned,_ enough for Grian to forget about the vindicator for just a moment. It was enough for Grian’s shoulders to tense when two thick fingers were suddenly pressed inside him, thrusting in _hard_ before they spread.

Grian’s eyes were watering, and it felt like his entire body was just one long exposed nerve ending, every touch overwhelming, every signal getting crossed and turned around in his mind until Grian’s body had no idea how to react.

Because, the fingers inside him felt _good._ Rough and careless though they might be, the stretch of them did not feel terrible.

Grian’s body felt high-strung, tensing and quivering as he made high, whimpering moans whenever the beast pulled far enough out to allow the noises to escape him.

The vindicator thrust another finger inside of him, spreading him out and making Grian cry out. Then, the mob made a pleased-sounding grunt. The fingers retreated, and a cock nudged against the soft rim of Grian’s hole, making him twitch against the mob, feeling suddenly too sensitive. Too close, too—

A giggle, whining and glitchy and evil as anything Grian had ever heard before. He felt a shift, somewhere inside of him, like a strange force passing _through_ him—

A strange numbness spread out from his dick, and Grian froze. Then, he started weeping, desperate tears flowing from his eyes as broken sounds tore from him. The damned vex. Grian cursed the small mobs out mentally, damning them for all time for what they just did. One of the mobs had phased through him, but instead of settling in his legs like the others had done, this one had moved to Grian’s dick, or _somewhere_ inside him—

Grian didn’t know the specifics. He just wanted it _gone._ He couldn’t feel _anything,_ down there, except for the vindicator suddenly slamming deep inside of him, only making him cry harder as the friction made him tense up - but didn’t go anywhere. The damned vexes had made him unable to come, body stuck in limbo until they fizzed out of existence or let him go.

The vindicator was fucking him, and Grian wanted to _die._ The heat and friction and fear and shame and pain and _everything_ was building up with nowhere to go, nowhere to release. Grian cursed out the vexes, he cursed out Xisuma for allowing _that_ certain tweak to be added, and he moaned, harshly and loudly around the beast’s dick.

Hard thrusts against his prostate had Grian’s arms collapsing, hands raising to scramble at the beast’s fur-covered thigh as the creature continued to hold him up by its grip on his head, thrusting down Grian’s throat with a speed that Grian was starting to realise had been gradually increasing.

He couldn’t think of what that meant. The vindicator gave a shout, and Grian felt more heat filling him up, some of the come dripping out around the mob’s dick—

Another illager was crowding against Grian before the vindicator from before had even pulled out. Grian gurgled around the dick in his mouth when he felt the cock in his ass being pulled out sharply, and the angry sounds of the mobs growing louder behind him.

The other illager - probably an evoker, though Grian’s senses were growing dull as his body was deprived of oxygen as the beast started thrusting faster, deeper, leaving Grian overwhelmed with input with no way of filtering anything _out_ \- thrusted inside him, hard, before stilling. Grian didn’t react other than with a small noise that got trapped somewhere in his chest.

No hands grabbed him, and the evoker didn’t move, the mob having paused after the initial thrust inside. Distantly, Grian wondered why this one was behaving so differently, but mainly he was trying to focus on how his chest was aching, lungs burning as the beast kept _working_ Grian’s head on its cock. And then he heard the sound of vexes whizzing about.

He was too tired to do anything but cry out when he heard the spine-crawling giggles, and then the pressure in Grian’s ass became so much more, _way_ too intense for him to handle as he felt the buzzing of magic filling him - Grian’s ears were ringing with hysterical cackling from an undetermined number of mobs - the pressure was electric, tingling with the force of the magic nature of the mobs currently _playing with him—_

The pressure was gone, leaving Grian twitchin, his hole clinging to the evoker’s dick as Grian drew in desperate breaths of air - only to have his throat filled by the beast’s cock once more, with a thrust powerful enough to make Grian’s spine twinge painfully at the sharp arch he was forced into by the vexes’ magic and the creature’s thrusts.

Grian was struggling, now, actively trying to fight against all the forces weighing him down, desperate for air, for it all to _just stop—_ He was aware of the bottles of water in his hotbar, and he didn’t reach for them. He just— _Needed——_

His body froze like that, back arched sharply and lungs fighting for breath, when another vex phased through him, _materialising inside him, just for a moment_ \- the sudden feeling of being _stretched,_ so painfully and terrifyingly, before it left him like it’d never happened in the first place—

The evoker was moving, and Grian was allowed one, desperate mouthful of air before the beast thrust down his throat - and Grian felt his teeth catching on something.

His drowsy mind was slow with the realisation of what was happening, but when it caught up, it was already too late - not that he’d had much of a choice. He’d known this was coming, that this was how it ended. 

The beast’s knot had been swelling, and by the time Grian had figured out what the creature was trying to do, it had already forced the base of it’s knot past Grian’s teeth, the head of its cock lodged snugly in Grian’s throat. The hands kept rocking his head gently against the beast’s pelvis, and Grian felt the knot swell against his tongue. One single, terrified tear ran down his cheek.

Giggling pounded against the inside of his temples as it filled his mind, Grian’s body tensing up when he felt the evoker come inside him, pulling out and leaving him empty.

Another mob - Grian could no longer keep track of which was which. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t _think_ \- filled him, and the thrusts were as rough and quick as the others.

Grian was losing consciousness, and he felt his body sluggishly respond to the thrusts and movements, his hole relaxing as Grian’s hands pawed at the beast’s thighs, weakly gripping onto handfuls of fur.

Grian thought he felt a warm hand card through his hair for a moment, a gentle, familiar movement. He blinked slowly, knowing that meant something, knowing that that recognition was important, that it meant everything was okay. _Grian_ was okay.

Then, that strange, buzzing heat was filling him again, magic tingling against his inner walls as it filled him up, stretched him out until it felt like he was about to combust, like he was being crushed beneath the forces of everything being done to him, of every emotion whipping through his body—

There was no air, and the knot was _big,_ it was _still expanding._ His lips were aching, his throat was burning, everything was just _too much_ and _not enough._

Grian heard laughter, high-pitched and sinister.

Then the numbness in his body receded as the vexes phased out of him, leaving him trembling for a moment. And then, as Grian’s nerve endings relit, rushing his brain with every input that had built up and built up and built up, only for it to release in _one single moment—_

Grian wasn’t sure if he passed out or came.

And then gasped for breath, shooting upright in the bed Ren had left for them at the roof of the woodland mansion. It was still night.

Xisuma was waiting for him beside, watching him through his visor with a kind, yet serious look in his eyes.

“How are you doing, Grian?”

Grian was still overwhelmed, though more mentally so, rather than physically, like before. He shivered as he drew his legs close to his chest before wrapping his arms around them. His heart was still pounding frantically in his chest, the phantom pains from his back and ass and head and throat and _everything_ was making it hard for Grian to realise that he was truly out. That he was no longer inside the mansion, that the scene was _over—_

The bed shifted when Xisuma sat down beside him.

Grian stayed quiet, and Xisuma hummed, his voice slightly distorted by the helmet covering his face. Then, with a click and a soft hiss, the admin removed it, pulling the helmet from his head before tucking it away in his inventory. Then, Xisuma settled down on the bed, long limbs stretching out. It was kind of an awkward fit, due to how Grian was still seated right in the middle of the bed, but Xisuma didn’t seem to mind.

“Come here, you,” Xisuma said, voice gentle.

Grian didn’t hesitate, even for a moment. He unwrapped his limbs from around himself, shivering as he did so, before tucking himself firmly up against Xisuma’s side.

Warm, _human_ hands settled around him, drawing him in close to a firm chest. Grian closed his eyes.

“Sleep, Grian. I’ll keep you safe until the morning, and then Ren will be here to tell you how good you were.”

Grian felt his eyes growing moist with tears behind his eyelids, his heart fluttering pleasantly against his ribcage at Xisuma’s words - and then, Grian nodded. His breathing was already evening out, and soon he was asleep in the admin’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Monster - Skillet


	12. Building Steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Traps and troubles] Get caught in a sexual trap/prank  
> &  
> [Industrial revolution] Get fucked by a redstone-powered machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise Keralis has entered the chat!

~ * ~

“Grian? Grian, are you okay?”

Brown eyes opened, and Grian blinked against the sharp light of the sunrise just starting to peek up over the horizon. His face was kind of cold, and he raised one hand to rub at his eyes, trying to work the sleepiness out - and then awareness settled in, as Grian’s mind caught up with what had happened before he went to sleep.

His eyes snapped to the man who’d woken him up. Ren was standing beside the bed Grian and Xisuma were laying in, and the man looked worse for wear. “Ren!” Grian exclaimed, arms already reaching for the taller man. “Ren, are you—”

“I’m fine,” Ren said, cutting Grian off before he could finish asking. Ren’s hands were raised placantly in the air, but his eyes were worried.

When Grian continued reaching for him, Ren gave a tired smile that did not reach his eyes, before placing his hands in Grian’s own, allowing the smaller man to tug him to the side of the bed.

Grian sat up when he had Ren’s hands in his, and once Ren had kneeled down beside the bed, Grian let his arms and legs wrap around the other man, holding him close with all of his might.

“Gri… are  _ you  _ okay?” Ren said, voice soft as he spoke against the skin of Grian’s neck.

Grian shuddered, arms tightening around Ren for a moment. “I’m… okay. It all ended very abruptly and I had some troubles getting out of the mindset, but Xisuma helped.”

Ren made a small sound, his own arms wrapping around Grian’s back. “I’m glad,” Ren whispered.

Xisuma still slept peacefully beside them. As Grian remembered how maddening the vexes had been the night before, the smaller man decided to change that fact.

He untangled one arm from where it had been wrapped tightly around Ren, making the other man murmur a question that Grian promptly ignored - and he reached out behind himself and let his hand smack down  _ hard  _ on Xisuma’s chest.

The admin awoke with a start, eyes searching frantically for the source of the attack - and then, Xisuma was laughing.

“Ouch! I guess you feel like I deserved that?” Xisuma asked, rubbing at the sore spot on his chest as he sat up on the bed, making room for Ren to join him and Grian on the soft mattress.

Grian grumbled while Ren rearranged them, until Ren was seated on the bed with Grian on his lap, arms and legs still wrapped around the taller man.

“Yeah,  _ Xisumavoid,”  _ Grian spat, making sure to wrangle the admin’s name to a point beyond recognition— “I feel like you deserve that. First of all,  _ thank you  _ for watching over the scene and agreeing to take on the aftercare while Ren was still gone. Secondly, just how sadistic are you?! The vexes were the  _ worst,  _ Xisuma! Of all the tweaks to add, why  _ that?” _

“Ah,” Xisuma said, sounding confused, “But I  _ didn’t  _ add any changes to the vexes. Only the general tweak that makes mobs more likely to stop and consider what they want to do to a player that is not attacking them.”

Grian felt his cheeks warm. “Oh,” he said, rather dumbly. “I’m sorry for hitting you, then.”

Xisuma waved him off. “It’s all good, Grian. However, now you’ve got me curious as to what the vexes did—”

Ren chuckled half-heartedly as Grian hid his face against his chest. “I’m sure we can tell you all about it at some point, X,” Ren said, voice sounding hoarse with exhaustion as he let his hand slowly rub Grian’s back. “Not today, though. I am stupid-tired, and I just want to aftercare and then sleep for a century.”

Xisuma said, “Of course. Both of you, take care! And I’m glad the two of you had fun. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Ren said, “Yeah. Thank you, X.”

“Thanks, Xisuma,” Grian mumbled, still embarrassed as he clung to Ren’s frame.

The whizz of firework rockets could be heard from the roof of the woodland mansion, and then Xisuma was gone.

Grian took a deep breath, before pulling away from Ren’s arms.

“Grian?”

“Let’s sleep for a bit more, okay? You just turned back. You gotta be tired,” Grian said, crawling back underneath the covers as he looked back up at Ren.

Ren did look tired. Dark circles underneath his eyes, hair a wild mess around his head, dirt and leaves sticking to his skin and hair in random places. His clothes were still ripped, barely hanging to his frame, and Grian didn’t fail to notice how the man seemed to be swaying slightly in place.

“I… guess I could sleep, yeah,” Ren said, before yawning.

Grian giggled at him, and then he raised the blanket invitingly, and Ren didn’t take long to wriggle up close to Grian’s side, burrowing underneath the blanket together. A cold nose pressed to Grian’s neck, a huff of breath blowing over his skin made him shiver pleasantly.

“G’night, Gri.”

“Night, Ren,” Grian replied, allowing himself to sink into the darkness behind his own closed eyelids. Just for a little while longer.

  
  
  


The next time Grian opened his eyes, the sun was high in the sky, signifying that quite some time had passed. A quick glance to the side told Grian that Ren was still sleeping soundly beside him. They were a mess of sprawled limbs, wrapped loosely around one another. 

Carefully, Grian settled more fully onto his side, taking in the other man.

Ren looked peaceful, in sleep. His hair was still messy, and Grian picked a few of the remaining leaves out of it with a soft smile. The circles underneath Ren’s eyes were almost undetectable in the brightness of the sun. Grian let his fingers trail over the thin skin there carefully, mindful of how the touch made Ren twitch, nose scrunching up.

Grian continued his gentle ministrations, rubbing at a smudge of dirt that had, somehow, gotten stuck to Ren’s jaw, when Ren let out a low groan. Then, warm calloused fingers wrapped around Grian’s wrist, holding his hand still.

Grian looked at Ren’s eyes, which were just starting to open. Dark blue eyes were blinking against the sharp sunlight before slowly focusing on Grian.

“Hi,” Grian whispered in greeting.

“Hey man,” Ren said, voice raspy with sleep. The man still held onto Grian’s wrist, keeping the smaller man’s palm pressed against his cheek. Like an afterthought, Ren hummed, and dragged Grian’s hand until it was covering Ren’s mouth.

Grian felt his breath hitch at the gentle touch of soft lips against his palm - and then Ren unhanded him, burrowing deeper underneath the covers with a content sigh, as Grian was left shivering. His body was thrumming with the energy in the air that he wasn’t quite able to place.

“Ren?” He asked, feeling a bit unsettled.

Ren gave a small groan, only the top of his head sticking up from underneath the blanket. “I’m tired, Gri. Can’t we sleep just a little while longer?”

Grian could tell something was off about the other man. “No, I-I think we should talk about the scene now.” When Ren started whining, Grian couldn’t help but snort at the other man’s antics. “Come on, you big lump - and afterwards, we can head back home and actually sleep inside.  _ And _ we can get you a bath. You smell like…”

“Like a wet dog?” Ren piped in, and when Grian shot him a glance, Ren’s face was peeking up from underneath the covers, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Grian scowled playfully at the other man, and Ren huffed, before sitting up on the bed, facing Grian.

Ren took a deep breath - and the slight trembling on the exhale wasn’t lost on Grian. A thought lit up inside his mind as he suddenly wondered if Ren hadn’t been trying to postpone the debriefing and aftercare for his own reasons. The man was no longer meeting Grian’s eyes, the blue gaze was instead focusing on the folds of the blanket draped over both of their folded legs.

Grian could wait for a bit to get his own reassurance. His need was not as urgent, but if Grian’s hunch was right - Ren’s need for reassurance and comfort  _ was. _ “I loved it.”

Ren’s eyes snapped back to Grian’s, the other man’s head rising so quickly that Grian was worried he might pull a muscle. He was gaping, but no words left Ren’s mouth, so Grian continued.

“The scene was incredible. Exactly what I wanted - thrilling, scary,  _ hot,  _ overwhelming. I felt so  _ powerless—” _

Ren cut him off, arms wrapping around himself defensively. “That - I know we planned for all of it, and that you like the pain, and… and the fear, and stuff, but…” As he spoke, Ren’s voice trailed off until it was nothing more than a whisper. “...but don’t you think I’m messed up?”

Grian met the other man’s eyes head on. “No, I don’t.”

“Why not? I mean, what kind of person gets off on having his partners being  _ scared  _ of him—”

Grian countered, “What kind of person gets off on being scared of his partner?”

Ren tried to brush him off, saying, “Fear and adrenaline are linked closely together, and the release of endorphins—” 

Grian cut him off once again. “And so is adrenaline and  _ power.  _ You’re not messed up, Ren. You haven’t done anything wrong - I was a willing participant, not actually a helpless victim. Would you have stopped if I used the splash water bottle?”

“Yes, but—”

“If you’d heard me use the safeword, would you have ignored it?”

“No,  _ never, _ I just—”

“Does it seem like I’m scared of you? Like I don’t want to be here? Like I  _ hate  _ you? Because I don’t - quite the opposite, in fact.”

Ren’s lower lip was trembling slightly, and the man looked…  _ afraid.  _ It reminded Grian of the exchange of power and control that came with heavier scenes like the one they’d done last night, of how none of it was real.  _ Ren  _ was the one shivering on the bed, afraid of what Grian might think of him, while  _ Grian  _ was the one trying to reassure him.

“Hey,” Grian said, voice calmer, softer than it had been before. “Can I touch you?”

Ren looked at him with pleading eyes, pressed up against the headboard on the opposite side of the bed. He breathed out,  _ “Please,” _ and Grian immediately crawled over and sprawled himself on top of the other man, uncaring of how the blankets bunched up between their thighs and how the thin shirt Grian was wearing really wasn’t offering much protection against the crisp air of the dark roofed forest—

All that mattered was that Ren’s hands settled against his sides, that he could  _ feel  _ the relieved exhale Ren gave at the contact.

Grian snuggled up tight, butting the top of his head up against Ren’s chin softly, before he began peppering Ren’s collarbones with light kisses.

Grian started murmuring out gentle praises and reassurances, in between each press of lips against skin.

“Thank you for taking care of me. For making last night incredible. I had an amazing time, and it felt so good. You were so good to me, giving me exactly what I wanted. You did such a good job making sure I was safe, from having Xisuma watch over us, to the water bottles and the safewords, everything. I feel really safe with you, in general.”

With every spoken word he could feel Ren going a bit more boneless beneath him, until finally, when Grian was done, Ren was completely relaxed and pliant on the bed, having sunken down on it until they were sprawled out like before.

“Thank you, Gri,” Ren said after a while spent in silence, the only movements having been the two of them breathing, and Ren’s hands slowly stroking up and down Grian’s back.

Grian stirred slightly. “No, thank  _ you.  _ Please, tell me - did you enjoy last night?”

Ren seemed to hesitate, but with another kiss from Grian pressed to the crook of Ren’s neck, the taller man sighed softly. “Yeah. Yeah, I really did. The rush when I was chasing you was…” He trailed off, seeming to get lost in the memory before shaking his head, continuing, “When I could  _ smell  _ the arousal on you, mixing with the fear? Mindblowing, dude.”

Grian huffed out a small laugh, “I’m glad you enjoyed that part as much as I did. What else?”

Ren hummed, considering. “I loved that you stayed on your hands and knees, even when it wasn’t strictly necessary.  _ Presenting  _ yourself to the incoming illagers? It took everything I had not to just spill down your throat immediately.”

Grian squirmed a bit, both from embarrassment and  _ heat,  _ each feeling mixing together at Ren’s praises, making Grian’s face heat up. He smiled shyly up at the other man, nodding for him to continue.

“The vexes were a surprise, not gonna lie—” Grian snorted at that, before Ren continued, “—but the pretty sounds you made around me when they started toying with you? There’s a reason why the scene didn’t last for very long after that. My bad, dude. You’re just too gorgeous when you’re crying.”

Through the embarrassed blush, Grian grinned widely. “I know,” he said, voice coy. “And thank you. The… extreme choking, shall we say? was something I’ve imagined for a long time, you know? I’m just happy I got to try it out with  _ you!” _

Ren smiled back at him, and his eyes were so gentle, in that moment. “So am I, Grian.”

  
  
  


Grian and Ren took it easy that day. They talked and cuddled some more, before Grian rowed the two of them back to Loser Island while Ren napped in the back. Ren cooked for them, and they spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach, lounging around until they could both stumble back upstairs, clumsy and tired from the past few days, until they finally tumbled into bed in a mess of limbs and giggles.

The next morning saw Grian’s return to his own base. He’d already made a deal with Scar that the two of them would sleep in each others’ beds for a while, for the achievement’s sake, and everything was sorted for Grian to get back to work.

He hadn’t felt ready to look at his communicator while he was still with Ren. Now he did - and as Grian stepped off the boat, back at his hobbit hole, the first thing he did was make a beeline for the front door. The moment he was inside, Grian sat down on a crafting bench and got to reading.

With a twinge in his chest, Grian scrolled back up to the message he’d stopped at before.

_ <Stressmonster101> ...falsie? u don’t fink i hurt him, do ya? _

_ <FalseSymmetry> No Stress, don’t you even think about that. I’m sure Grian is fine _

_ <FalseSymmetry> I’m coming over _

_ <Stressmonster101> but what about Grian? _

_ <FalseSymmetry> @Ren? _

_ <Rendog> Oh hiyah, sorry for not replying, Falsie! I’ve been keeping G… *occupied*, let’s say it like that ;) _

_ <Rendog> We haven’t been checking our comms. My bad! _

_ <Stressmonster101> oh fank the stars _

_ <FalseSymmetry> Ren _

_ <FalseSymmetry> I’m gonna skin you alive for making us worry that much :) _

_ <Rendog> Oh lord _

_ <FalseSymmetry> But I’m glad you both are safe. Maybe just give a bit of a warning next time? _

_ <Rendog> Will do, Falsie-poo! _

_ <Stressmonster101> fank u ren! send grian my love, will ya? _

_ <Rendog> You know I will, gorgeous ;) _

Grian felt his smile, that had diminished some after reading through Stress’ worried messages, return as he saw how naturally Ren had led the conversation on, easily taking care of every party involved - including Grian himself. He really was lucky to have such a good friend.

After that followed a few days’ worth of general chatting, and Grian skimmed through it, until he got to the messages he’d been looking for.

_ Grian choked to death whilst trying to take Rendog’s knot _

_ Grian has made the achievement [Too much of a good thing] _

The responses from the hermits had been immediate, despite the late hour that the achievement had gone through.

_ <iJevin> Oh dang _

_ <Hypnotizd> First one to get that achievement! GG :) _

_ <Iskall85> WHAT _

_ <Iskall85> is THAT what ren has been up to???  _

_ <Hypnotizd> Oooh _

_ <iJevin> Trouble in paradise? _

_ <Iskall85> ren has been too busy the past few days to hang out :( _

_ <Iskall85> but NOW I KNOW WHY _

_ <Hypnotizd> Lol! :D _

_ <Iskall85> HE WAS TOO BUSY PREPARING FOR GRIAN TO CHOKE TO DEATH ON HIS KNOT, APPARENTLY _

_ <Docm77> … _

_ <Hypnotizd> Oh hi Doc! _

_ <iJevin> This is gonna be good, I can tell _

_ <Iskall85> i _

_ <Docm77> GRIAN AND REN DID WHAT _

Grian burst out laughing, and he decided in that very moment that the next hermit he’d seek out for some fun would be none other than mister Doc M himself.

He’d keep his promise to Ren (and himself) though, and Grian would take a day or two to focus on himself and his base projects first, before planning for his rendezvous with Doc.

Grian got to work. He completed the tunnel connecting his own base to Mumbo’s, and he finished decorating the rooms in his hobbit hole that had been left bare after he’d excavated them.

Just before sunset, Grian and Scar would pass each other in the jungle as they both made their way towards the other one’s base for the evening, thus maintaining their streaks of spending nights in other hermits’ beds.

Grian was up to his fourteenth day of the month-long achievement after two full days spent working on his base, when he decided it was time.

He knew he couldn’t just straight-up  _ ask  _ Doc, though - or, well, he  _ could…  _ But where was the fun in that? No, Grian wanted drama, flare,  _ tension—  _ All those good things that usually spiced things up whenever he and Doc found their paths crossing.

The first thing he decided was that he needed more information. What was Doc up to so far this season? Which opportunities to tease the other man could Grian find if he just looked? With Doc, Grian couldn’t help himself - he just wanted to push and push and push and push, until Doc snapped and the two of them could collide together into something electrifying and _dangerous._

Grian quite liked ‘dangerous’.

And he really,  _ really  _ liked Doc.

When the late afternoon came around, Grian grabbed a boat from a chest, and started rowing towards the quaint bay where Doc and Bdubs’ starter bases were located. Grian didn’t really have a plan, per say - he just meant to scope the interior of Doc’s base out (which should be easy enough, due to how…  _ half _ it was), to see if he could find any leverage to base his plan of attack off of.

The two halves of the mansion rose up from the ground, tall and imposing with how Grian had designed it, yet the build was overshadowed by the mountain range surrounding the bay. Grian took a double take when he noticed the recent changes to it.

Where a normal mountain peak had been standing proud the last time Grian was there, a mere two weeks ago… the mountain’s head had since been shaped into the face of a goat.

Grian stopped rowing as he passed beneath the cliffs. It was… slightly unsettling. An eye-catcher, for sure, but - no, Grian couldn’t help himself. He started laughing, letting go of the oares to cling to his own stomach as it cramped up with how hard the muscles were working during his giggle-fit.

A goat head on a mountain. Doc really  _ was  _ serious about his whole goat-theme this season. Maybe, Grian mused in between leftover chuckles, he’d be able to do something with that…

It was still too early to say, though. Grian rowed the rest of the way to the shore, before picking up his boat and sneaking through the tall grass of Bdubs’ side of the mansion. The lights were on in Doc’s side of the building, while Bdubs’ base was only lit up on the upper floors, so Grian felt safer about sneaking in on his side. 

Grian tiptoed silently by the pool, and as he took in the fence separating the two plots, he startled as he heard a shout from Bdubs’ second floor.

“Hey! Are you sneaking around my property again?!”

Grian didn’t stop to think that Bdubs might have mistaken him for someone else in the dwindling light (perhaps a certain half-creeper neighbour of his?) - he just bolted, as quickly and as silently as he was able, through the tall grass and down the stairs to Bdubs’ basement.

He pressed up against the sides of the wooden beams that supported the room he’d entered, and he strained to hear whether he was being followed or not over the sound of his own pounding heart.

Grian picked out faint shouting, and then another voice chimed in, darker, and even more muffled. The roof above him creaked and groaned as someone made their way across it, but soon, everything was quiet. Grian let himself take a relieved breath when there was no sound of footsteps following him down into the basement, and he allowed himself to take a look around the room he’d stumbled into.

It was a bedroom, that much was certain. Grian nodded approvingly at the modern design of the room, mentally applauding Bdubs for decorating the room so well in a style the man usually didn’t work with.

Still weary of the lack of noises coming from upstairs, Grian decided to wait for a bit before returning to his stakeout of Doc’s base. He grumbled for a bit at how quickly his sort-of-plan had gone wrong, and he sat down heavily on the bed with a sigh.

Grian froze when he heard the sound of redstone - pistons and droppers and comparators and—

Suddenly, everything was turned around, and Grian failed to bite back a shout when he was bounced by a slime block, and for a moment he was in the air, flailing - and then he was seized by the waist as half slabs were pushed into place around and beneath him, efficiently and firmly locking him into place. Then, everything was quiet as Grian caught his breath, trembling violently with the adrenaline surging through him at the abrupt fright of suddenly having been airborne.

He found himself lying on his stomach on a small, player-shaped platform made by the pistons, hips tilted upwards by an elevated half slab placed beneath it. Grian tried to sit up, but something was blocking his way. A quick turn of his head told Grian that there were fences around his waist, blocking him in. 

A few ticks passed, and Grian thought that that must have been it - a trap, probably meant for Doc, to stop the other man from stealing Bdubs’ beds. Grian was about to grab his axe to cut himself loose, when he again heard the sounds of redstone activating.

Grian scrambled against the edge of the platform - he could just barely get enough leverage to manage to peek down the side of the slabs, to where the double bed had been before. Now, there was only a deep hole of redstone components ticking away, red lights flashing in a pattern that, to Grian, seemed to be at random.

Something suddenly prodded at his backside, and Grian cursed to himself when his startled jump made him bang his hip painfully against the fence posts.

He looked behind himself, and he couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter at what he saw. The sounds of pistons firing rhythmically really should have clued him off, combined with the position Grian had suddenly found himself in.

It was a fucking machine. The thing that had poked him had been the head of a dildo, slicked up with lube - Grian grimaced when he felt the liquid seep into his trousers where it had touched him - thrusting back and forth at a steady rhythm.

Grian snorted - for a trap, this would be disappointingly easy to break out of… but, Grian supposed, that would be part of the point. Consent, even in shenanigans. Grian could appreciate that.

With a shake of his head, Grian decided that he might as well. He did have some time to kill, anyway, if he wanted to avoid being caught by Doc or Bdubs - and he supposed it would only be fair, after all. Bdubs might have meant for the trap to trigger when someone else tried to sleep in the bed, but that was beside the point. Grian had fallen for the trap, and so Grian would play along.

He unequipped his armour, before squirming out of his pants in a rather undignified manner. He was still trapped, after all, and the fence posts were awkward to reach around. All the while, the dildo kept prodding at the cheek of his ass, spreading more of the lube around and making undressing even harder.

Soon enough though, Grian was as undressed as he was going to get, what with his pants and underwear bunched up around his shoes - but it would have to do. Grian wriggled down on the platform, being as careful as he possibly could…

The dildo thrusted towards him, and Grian cried out when the head of the toy was shoved halfway in. He scrambled back up the bench with a wince, groaning at the sting of the sudden stretch. Apparently, he hadn’t been going slow enough.

Knees shaking, Grian tried again.

He made miniscule movements, pausing in between each centimetre for the fucking machine to thrust towards him, until the head of the dildo was  _ just  _ nudging at his hole whenever the piston was fully extended.

Grian shivered, and after relaxing as best as he could, he slowly inched backwards. It was one of the strangest stretches he’d ever felt, if only for the fact that the dildo would slip in a bit more with each thrust, only to pull out of him completely before  _ fucking  _ its way back inside of him.

The sensation was maddening in how  _ teasing  _ it was, and the piston fired quickly enough that Grian felt himself staying relaxed and open in between each thrust, hole fluttering. It was enough for him to start growing hard, the feeling of the dildo working the rim of his hole made pleasant shivers run down his spine.

Grian inched backwards a bit more. He moaned, loudly and unabashedly, when the head of the toy entered him fully, and before the piston retracted once again, he felt his hole closing around the dildo, gripping it - and then it was pulled out, and Grian let his forehead slump against his folded arms as he quaked beneath the rush of heat that burst through him at the feel of it.

The shallow pace kept going, and Grian shivered at the constant switch between the stretch and suddenly being  _ empty,  _ his rim trying to grip around the head of the dildo, and then his hole would be  _ fluttering around nothing.  _ The cycle kept repeating, and Grian didn’t think he’d enjoy the feeling quite as much as he did.

It took effort to convince his trembling legs to keep moving, but Grian managed to get it done. He slowly wriggled backwards, and with each thrust the dildo was pushed deeper and deeper inside of him.

Grian keened in the back of his throat when the toy nudged against his prostate, the blunt head of it pressing heavily against the sensitive spot, making sparks light up inside his limbs, pooling deep in his belly as his dick ached. Finally, he’d moved back enough that the dildo never pulled out fully, and by that point, Grian was gasping at every inward thrust. The fucking machine was positioned to press in so  _ deep— _

Each thrust was relentless. The machine had no compassion, and the pace was fast and unfaltering. Grian was squirming from slight oversensitivity at the constant prodding against his prostate, but even through his whimpers, he couldn’t deny how hard he was. Grian could  _ feel  _ the precome dripping from his dick, smearing between his stomach and the slab he was laying on.

Soon the toy was starting to climb in temperature, both from the friction and from Grian’s own body heat. He moaned as the slick silicone of the toy started feeling all the more like the touch of an actual person - and Grian slumped down even further as he decided to let himself relax and just enjoy it, all the while letting his mind wander.

Self care, and all that.

His body was buzzing from the constant stimulation, and he rocked back on it gently, moaning as he imagined someone coming down the stairs and finding him like this.

Bdubs would probably go into the basement at some point. What would he do when he saw Grian caught in his trap? He might be shocked and immediately try to help Grian down… or  _ maybe,  _ Bdubs would enjoy seeing him there. Maybe he’d laugh at Grian, for allowing himself to be trapped. Maybe Bdubs would ridicule him, for Grian being desperate enough to willingly pull down his pants the moment he figured out what the contraption was meant for.

Grian shuddered, back arching slightly as he felt his orgasm building.

Maybe Doc would be the one to find him.

Maybe  _ he  _ had been the one to set up the trap, hoping to catch Bdubs unaware and just waiting for the opportunity to mess with him. Maybe Doc would stop by sometime soon when Bdubs went to sleep in another bed, to see if his trap had worked - only to find  _ Grian,  _ whimpering and needy.

Maybe both of them would find him, the two of them heading to Bdubs’ bedroom together.

Grian’s leg was twitching slightly. He was already so close. He let his eyes slip shut, mouth panting slightly, as he pushed himself back just a tiny bit more—

He swore he could feel eyes on him, the phantom touches of hands gripping his hips tightly as a big dick was thrusted inside of him as deep as it could go - and his orgasm was so close he could almost  _ taste  _ it.

“Well hello there, Brian!”

Grian’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped as his head shot around to meet the eyes of the man standing in the doorway. Keralis met his gaze, the man’s big, brown eyes taking him in with a curious expression.

Grian opened his mouth to say something, to try and think of a reply or an excuse or  _ something -  _ but with another firing of the piston, Grian’s back went taut, spine arching against the fence posts as he came.

The surprise wave of relief flooded his system, and Grian groaned as he felt himself spill against his own stomach, his inner walls clenching down on the still-moving dildo as each press against his prostate kept dragging the feeling of ecstasy on and on.

Keralis spoke again, though Grian was still too lost in his own pleasure to really pay attention to the other man’s words. “My oh my, would you look at that. It seems Brian has found himself in quite the pickle,” Keralis giggled softly.

By the time Grian’s orgasm had faded enough for him to focus back on the other man, Grian was wincing with every thrust made by the fucking machine. He was oversensitive, body still flying on a cloud of endorphins, though the relentless pace was quickly bringing him past the edges of ‘painful’ and back to a state where the movements felt  _ good,  _ despite how overwhelming they were in intensity.

Grian found Keralis’ eyes again, and he panted as he took in the fact that the other man had stepped into the room fully.

“What,” Grian started to ask, voice cracking in the middle of his sentence as he continued to speak in a whisper, “are you doing here?”

Keralis’ eyes were positively sparkling, another bright giggle leaving him before he spoke. “I imagine the same thing as  _ you  _ were doing, hm? Avoiding Bubbles and the doctor, of course! Though,” Keralis mused, “I suppose I am not an uninvited guest, like you are.”

Grian was about to try and make up an excuse, but another full-body shiver went through him at a particularly well-aimed thrust against his prostate, and a moan escaped his mouth instead of the words he’d been aiming for.

He felt his cheeks warming up with embarrassment and shame, and Grian pressed his face into his own folded arms, whining softly.

Keralis made a considering hum beneath him. “Ah, I guess you’re a bit too… preoccupied to continue small-talking, eh? That’s okay - I’ll be happy to wait until you’re done. You make some really cute noises and faces when you’ve been caught doing something naughty, you know?”

Grian gasped, and he could  _ feel  _ his blush deepening in colour, though the other man would have no way of knowing, what with how Grian was hiding his face from those big, brown eyes.

His thighs spasmed, flexing before relaxing again at another press to his prostate that was  _ almost  _ too much— Grian felt his dick dribbling more precome, his own stomach already a sticky mess from his previous release, and he squirmed on top of the platform.

Keralis squealed.

“Ooh, you cute thing! Don’t hide that beautiful face, please? Come now, won’t you let papa K see those pretty brown eyes?”

Grian blinked, and he felt embarrassed tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. Slowly, he raised his head. Keralis cooed at him in encouragement, and Grian, red-faced and trembling, peeked back over the edge of the platform, until he could meet the other man’s eyes once more.

“There we go, sweet-face! Look at you, not even taking a break after coming. How long have you been going for?” Keralis sounded a strange mixture of innocent and excited that made Grian’s skin feel like it was a size too small - it made him be acutely aware of his own body, of where he was shaking and where he was sticky and where he was  _ dripping— _

Grian hadn’t even realised he’d broken their eye-contact until Keralis spoke. “No, no, no, sweet-face! Look into my eyes, nothing but my eyes. Please? I wanna see you when you come again. Is that okay? Can you do that for papa K?”

He moaned, feeling more shivers work their way down his back, but Grian nodded, feeling like a second orgasm might be closer to happening than he’d previously thought - and with a deep breath, Grian steeled himself, and met Keralis’ eyes once more.

Grian let out a startled moan at what he saw.

Big, warm brown eyes, so deep and rich in colour that they appeared almost black in the dimmed lighting, shimmering with  _ heat  _ and a particular sort of possessiveness that Grian had come to know and appreciate inside the bedroom over the years.

“That’s it,” Keralis whispered, voice so soft that it was almost inaudible over the firing of pistons. “Come now, pretty-face, let papa K see you…”

Grian gasped, body tensing up - it took everything he had not to let his eyes slip shut, and he had no idea what sort of face he was making as he felt his second orgasm wash over him, gentler than the last one had been, but still enough for his dick to give another few spurts, a pained-sounding moan spilling from Grian’s lips, before he went boneless.

He whimpered at the continuing movements of the fucking machine, and Grian tiredly managed to drag his own body forward enough for the dildo to pull out of him when the piston was retracted.

Grian didn’t have the strength to move any further though, and he sobbed as he felt the head of the dildo being fucked inside of him before pulling all the way out, again, and again, and again. There wasn’t any pressure against his prostate, but the friction was still enough to leave Grian twitching and whining from sensitivity.

“You did so well for papa K, sweet-face. I’m very proud of you. Do you want me to turn this thing off now?”

Grian swallowed around another moan, and croaked out, “Yes,  _ please—” _

Keralis shushed him, and Grian was too tired to lift his head to find out what the other man was doing as he heard soft footsteps moving around the room beneath him.

A soft ‘pop’ reached Grian’s ears, and after retracting one last time, the machine stilled.

“All done! Would you like for me to help you down, Brian?”

Grian lied still for a few breaths, trying to calm down his racing heartbeat. Then, he said, “That would be nice. Thank you, Keralis.”

Soft laughter sounded from beneath him, followed by the sounds of wood being chopped. “Oh please, Brian, call me papa K. Don’t think I didn’t notice how much you liked that part of this little misadventure.”

Grian whined from embarrassment, even as he heard blocks being placed underneath the platform, assumingly so that Grian wouldn’t crash all the way to the floor when Keralis broke him free. “I’d rather not - at least, not unless you agree to actually call me by my name?”

“What do you mean? I  _ am  _ calling you by your name, Brian.”

The slab beneath Grian’s legs broke, quickly followed by the one beneath his pelvis. He let his feet reach downwards, and was relieved when he felt blocks beneath him. Keralis started chopping down the fence posts as Grian replied, “Uh huh. Then I guess I’m just going to keep calling you by your name, too.”

Hearty laughter, followed by one of the fence posts breaking. “Suit yourself, Brian! Do you think you’ll be able to concentrate on our conversation now?”

Grian slowly and carefully squirmed out of the wooden contraption that had held him in the air, feet landing solidly on the wooden planks Keralis had placed beneath the two of them the other man had been breaking Grian free.

Blushing, Grian pulled up his pants and underwear, wincing at how he could  _ feel  _ the lukewarm come seeping into the fabrics - but it was better than being naked while trying to come up with excuses for why he was there.

“Yeah, I should be good now,” Grian said, staying clear of the redstone-pit that was located where the double bed had once been. He settled for leaning against the wall as he watched Keralis continue to break the last blocks of the platform. “What were we talking about again?”

“Oh,” Keralis said, airily, “nothing important, nothing important. I was just thinking of the fact that you’re an uninvited guest, while I am the current master of the house.”

Grian blinked. Keralis had finished cleaning up after the trap, and turned to meet Grian’s eyes with a wide smile. Grian said, feeling like he was missing some clue as to what was going on, “I thought Bdubs was the owner.”

“Bubbles is indeed the owner! But he’s renting the place out to me, as a vacation home! And as long as I’m here, I am the master of the house. And I don’t think you are supposed to be in Bubbles’ basement, are you?”

Grian wrung his hands, before slumping back against the wall, muscles untensing with resignation. “No, I guess I’m not. I wasn’t going to do anything though, I’ll have you know - I’m just here to spy on Doc. That’s all.”

Keralis’ face lit up, and he started stalking closer to where Grian was standing, making the smaller man gulp as he found himself being crowded against the wall.

“Is that so, pretty-face?”

Grian looked up at Keralis hesitatingly, before nodding.

Keralis smiled down at him, before raising his arms to slowly cage Grian in. The man leaned in, making Grian gasp as he felt the soft brush of an upper lip against his own, and then a warm gust of breath as Keralis murmured, “In that case, how about we help each other out?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Building Steam - Abney Park


	13. Money men bling-bling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Tip accordingly] Inserting diamonds into a fellow hermit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keralis and Bdubs! Stay safe, check the latest tags, have fun!

~ * ~

“Help each other out? In what way?” Grian asked, licking his suddenly dry lips - only to shiver when the action made his tongue swipe over Keralis’ upper lip as well, from how close the other man was standing.

Keralis hummed, a bright, considering sound. “You said you’re here to spy on Doc, right?”

Grian nodded, wondering where this was going.

“Bubbles and I are having some… unfortunate troubles with our dear neighbour, and seeing as Doc appears to have rigged this beautiful bedroom that was made as a gift from Tango, I think it’s only fair that we seek revenge… and seeing as you’ve been caught in a place you weren’t supposed to be, I was thinking you could help out. How does that sound?”

“That sounds reasonable,” Grian said, but he still felt uncertain about what exactly the other man had in mind. “What kind of revenge were you thinking?”

Keralis grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners as he beamed at Grian. “I’m glad you asked, Brian! You see, we both know that the lovely doctor is, shall we say, in a little bit of love for a certain someone, yes?”

Grian felt his eyes widen. “What? I - _who?”_

Another bright giggle left Keralis’ lips.

“Oh, pretty-face, you sure are funny. The revenge I want is pretty simple. I know you’re going for all of the special achievements this season, and I won’t get in the way of that. I know you’re gonna try to work your way through all the hermits. And, seeing as you were here to spy on Doc, my guess is that you’re just as excited for him as he is for you, hm?”

Grian hesitatingly nodded, and Keralis kept talking.

“Then I know this is a lot to ask… but please, could you save Doc for last? I want to see him frustrated when he realises that _everyone_ is getting a piece of you but him - even if it’s only temporary.”

Grian felt his mind spinning, thoughts racing at a million miles per hour. He swallowed, trying to make his mouth form words, but no sound escaped him.

Keralis continued. “Of course, I’m willing to sweeten the deal further - literally! You see, I find myself in possession of quite a bit of diamonds - how about I become your special sugar papa? Sugar papa K? I’d love to be able to keep looking at your pretty expressions while you make such cute noises, spoiling you for being so good for me. What do you say?”

Grian blinked. He noticed that Keralis had backed away a bit, and Grian was grateful for the much needed room to breathe, to _think,_ as he considered Keralis’ offer.

“This,” Grian finally said, meeting Keralis’ eyes once more, “if I were to agree… this would be a casual thing, right? I hit you up if I want something, you hit me up if you want something, normal rules apply - something like that?”

Keralis nodded. “Just some casual fun, yes. You can feel free to refuse any request without giving me a reason as to why, and I won’t hold it against you. I was thinking that you could get free things from my shops in exchange for playing with me - as well as any guests I feel like inviting along. I would give detailed information about every scene beforehand though, and as I said, you would have no obligation to agree.”

Grian took a deep breath, sinking a bit further into the wooden wall he was slumped against, thankful for the support. “That sounds good to me. Anything else?”

“Well,” Keralis said, smiling brightly, “I was hoping to get invited to watch you complete some future achievements as well? At your own discretion, of course.”

“Of course,” Grian chuckled. He felt a bit light-headed, and his legs were still trembling slightly from his earlier… activities, but Keralis’ offer honestly didn’t sound bad to him. Grian took a breath. “Okay. I’m in.”

“Oh, sweet-face!” Keralis squealed, already moving in to once more crowd Grian up against the wall, “I was hoping you’d say that! As thanks for helping me, feel free to stop by my base and help yourself to anything you’d like.”

Grian smiled, even as he was acutely aware of where Keralis’ body was pressing up against his own. The wet spot in his underwear felt itchy and uncomfortable, and when the other man’s thigh nudged against his bulge in a way that seemed to be _too_ intentional for it to be an accident, Grian’s breath hitched at the touch to his still oversensitive dick.

He whined, “Please, I - I don’t think I can go again tonight.”

“What are you talking about, Brian? I was just trying to give you a hug to show you how happy I am,” Keralis said, and Grian clearly heard the playful edge to the innocent words.

“Yeah, sure,” Grian panted when the pressure against his crotch remained where it was. At least Keralis wasn’t moving. “In that case… how about we continue this in the morning? I’m—” Grian shot a look down at himself. “—I’m honestly very filthy, right now. And I’m tired.”

Keralis tutted at him before pulling away. Grian looked on in confusion when Keralis grabbed a hold of Grian’s hand, and then the smaller man found himself being tugged along, led back up the stairs towards the ground floor of Bdubs’ half of the mansion.

“Why of course, sweet-face! Only the best for my guests. Let me have Bubbles draw you a bath, and then we can sleep in the master bedroom, seeing as this one is out of commission for the time being.”

Grian let himself be dragged along, stumbling slightly at the sharp turn they took once they reached the top of the stairs. He had been thinking of heading back to Scar’s base to spend the night, but this was even nicer. Grian was thankful that he wouldn’t need to traverse through the jungle at night, especially with how weak his legs were feeling.

“Bubbles?” Keralis called out into the night.

Grian startled slightly at his raised voice, but apparently he wasn’t the only surprised one, as a faint, “Aw, shoot!” sounded from across the fence separating the two properties.

He shot a look at Keralis, who was still holding onto Grian’s hand. Seemingly unphased, the man was smiling pleasantly, his posture relaxed. Grian looked back towards the fence with a raised eyebrow when the sound of grumbled curses and surprised exclamations grew louder as the person speaking came closer to where the two of them were standing.

Bdubs stumbled around the edge of the wooden fence, red-faced and hair mussed enough that the strands pointed in every direction but the ones they were meant to.

Grian snorted slightly when he noticed that Bdubs was just finishing buttoning up his pants as he finally reached the awaiting duo. Grian hid a small chuckle behind his free hand, ducking slightly behind Keralis as he let the two of them talk out whatever it was they needed to.

“Keralis! My honoured guest, you know I am always at your service for as long as you stay here—” Bdubs sounded anything but like he meant it, and Grian had to stifle another snicker at the slightly crazed tone of the other man’s words as Bdubs continued, “—and I’ll have you know, I was asleep! Not that it’s a problem of course!”

Bdubs cackled loudly, and Grian shuffled further behind Keralis at the hysterical laughter. Was Bdubs… okay?

“Oh! I see you’ve brought another guest here - is he gonna stay the night?” Bdubs asked, peeking around Keralis’ shoulders when he caught sight of Grian’s movements.

Keralis said, “He will. And don’t worry, I’m paying for him.” Grian couldn’t help but shiver slightly as he noticed the double meaning of the words, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Could you draw a bath for him? Offer to help him clean up - and after that you can bring him to the master bedroom.”

Grian’s eyes widened when Keralis pulled out a few diamonds, only to throw them Bdubs’ way.

Bdubs scrambled to pick up the fallen diamonds, immediately putting them away in his own inventory. “Oh sure,” he said, panting slightly. “Anything for you, Keralis.”

Grian looked up at the back of Keralis’ head when the man spoke next, still standing slightly in front of Grian. The man’s tone had softened, grown warmer with familiarity. “Thank you, Bubbles.” Then, the tone went back to being aloof and businesslike. “Who knows, if you play nice I might just invite you to join us in the morning, hm?”

Suddenly, both men turned to Grian.

He felt small beneath their gazes, filthy and exhausted as he still was, unfamiliar with whichever game the two of them were playing. Bdubs’ eyes were wide and curious, deep with an intensity that made Grian’s breath catch in his throat.

Grian looked up at Keralis, who was looking at him with a warm, kind gaze. A small smile was playing on his lips before they parted, and Keralis murmured, “Think about it, yeah? We can talk about it when you return from your bath, okay, sweet-face?”

Grian nodded - and then he held still when Keralis slowly reached a hand towards Grian’s face, gently cupping his jaw before leaning in and pressing a slow, soft kiss to his lips.

The touch was fleeting, and when their lips parted with a small sound, Grian found that his eyes had fluttered closed during the kiss. He blinked them back open, only to find Keralis watching him. “See you in a bit, yes?”

Grian shivered when Keralis’ thumb stroked his cheek, the touch innocent yet intimate in a way that made Grian feel warm. “Yeah,” he said, voice sounding slightly breathy.

Keralis’ smile widened. “Good.” Then, “Bubbles?”

Bdubs startled back into action from where he’d been frozen observing the two of them. “Y-yes! Grian, follow me, please! This way!” When Grian managed to break away from Keralis’ eyes, he found Bdubs was waiting for him, watching him intently with eyes that had grown darker with heat.

Slowly, Keralis’ hand fell away from Grian’s face, and the man nodded encouragingly.

Grian took a breath before turning towards Bdubs. He gave the other man a nod, and when Bdubs turned around to head up the stairs, Grian followed.

As the two of them made their way up the stairs, leaving Keralis behind on the ground floor, Bdubs started talking - or, rambling would probably be a more accurate word, seeing as the man’s words came quickly enough that Grian found no opportunity in between the other man’s rapid sentences to reply.

“Another guest, how annoying— I mean, _unexpected!_ Exciting, even! Oh yes, please follow me, Grian, the grand bathroom is just this way. I’ll draw you a luxurious bath, the best you’ve ever had. Mark my words! And of course, we offer the full services here, so if you’d like, you can feel free to relax in the bath while I bring you refreshments. I can also wash your hair and give you a massage, really - anything you want, Keralis is gonna pay for. Oh, it’s gonna be great, let me tell you—”

Grian listened on in tired amusement as Bdubs led the two of them through the halls, until they finally stepped through a doorway, and then a bathtub came into view, easily standing out as the centerpiece of the bathroom.

The tub was sunken into the floor, surrounded by lanterns and bottles of oil and soaps, giving the room a gentle glow and a soothing atmosphere.

As Bdubs got to work on filling the bathtub with water, adding a few drops from various bottles, Grian spoke up. “This really looks incredible, Bdubs. You’ve done an amazing job with your base so far.” Grian’s voice was soft, words genuine as he tried to make the other man relax from his frantic pace.

“Oh!” Bdubs said, shooting a surprised glance at Grian. “I - _thank you,_ Grian! That’s really nice of you.”

Now that Grian had Bdubs’ attention, he continued, trying to offer the other man a way out. “And if you want to go back to sleep, I’ll be fine on my own. I don’t mind, so don’t force yourself to ‘attend’ to me if you don’t want to, okay?”

Bdubs’ eyes softened.

“Thank you - but I want to. It’s fine, I’m just complaining a bit, yeah? It’s a part of mine and Keralis’ game, but I guess that I forgot that you wouldn’t really know that. So don’t worry about it, I want to help.”

“Okay,” Grian said, giving a relieved smile. “In that case, I’m happy with whatever you have planned. Just let me know what to do. I’m really tired,” he chuckled, running a hand through the hair at the back of his head.

Bdubs returned Grian’s smile with one of his own. “Why don’t you start by getting undressed? The bath is almost ready, and I want to help you relax. I’ll take care of everything, you can feel free to just sit back and enjoy your stay here.”

Grian gave a soft sigh. “That sounds nice. Yes please.”

Grian started removing his clothes, and by this point he barely even cared that his skin was still feeling crusty and sticky with his own dried come. Once he was undressed, Bdubs gestured invitingly towards the tub, and Grian stepped in with a small moan as the warm water enveloped him.

He let his back rest against the edge of the bathtub, sighing as he felt himself relax in the smell of flowers getting carried by the steam dancing over the water’s surface.

“Does it feel nice?” Bdubs asked, situated somewhere behind Grian’s back.

“Yeah,” Grian sighed, letting his eyes slip closed. “Really nice.”

Bdubs hummed approvingly. “Good. Would you like for me to wash your hair for you?”

Grian smiled. “Yes please. And feel free to join me in the water, too. This tub is too big for one person, in my opinion.”

“Oh! Of course, hold on, let me just—”

Grian kept smiling as he heard the sounds of fabrics rustling as Bdubs scrambled to get undressed behind him. Some muffled curses later, and Grian felt the surface of the water ripple as the other man joined him.

“There we go,” Bdubs sighed, already sounding more relaxed than he had before. “Turn your back to me, please?”

Grian opened his eyes, meeting Bdubs’ own. The man’s cheeks were slightly flushed, though Grian didn’t know if it was from the steam or from the fact that they were both nude and in close proximity to one another. Grian did know his _own_ reason for being red-faced, though. He shot another smile at the other man, before turning around and offering his back to Bdubs.

Another hum left the other man, and then warm, wet hands landed on Grian’s shoulders, gently guiding him into relaxing against the other man’s chest.

Grian sighed as he sank further into the water, the new position almost enough to make sleep start to tug at the edges of his mind.

“Comfortable?” Bdubs asked.

Grian nodded, and then there were fingers carding through his hair. He moaned quietly at the soothing motions.

“Keep your eyes closed for me,” Bdubs said, and Grian did as he was asked, letting his eyelids flutter shut.

Bdubs scooped up handfuls of the warm, pleasant-smelling water, and let it soak Grian’s hair. The pop of a bottle cap sounded somewhere beside him, and then the fingers were back in his hair, rubbing gently through the strands, massaging some kind of liquid into his scalp.

Grian felt himself starting to drift off.

“Just relax, yeah? You can sleep if you want to. I’ll wake you up if I need you to move.”

“Sounds great,” Grian mumbled, his mind already clouded with sleep. “Just… keep doing whatever you’re planning, yeah? I—” he broke off with a yawn, before continuing, “I consent. Just make me feel good.”

Lips touched the shell of his ear, and Grian let himself be pulled into unconsciousness, drifting off to the sound of Bdubs’, “Of course, Grian.”

  
  
  


Through the warm cloud of sleep Grian was floating in, he was aware of hands on him. Gentle scratches through his hair, and hands running down his chest. Warmth trickled down the back of his head, and Grian thought he might have made a sound - but whether it was in his dream or out loud, he couldn’t tell.

Fleeting touches to his arms, ending up at Grian’s hands, playing with his fingers.

Hands palming at his thighs, and Grian sighed as he let his legs part, inviting the soothing touches to continue.

Grian drifted off again, and the next thing he distantly noticed was the heat having spread throughout his body. He moaned, hips stuttering, at the feeling of the source of the heat radiating from his groin. His sleepy mind didn’t conjure up the picture of any one hermit in particular - what he saw behind his closed eyelids were a multitude of hands, different in sizes and colours, caressing him and stroking his body as Grian floated on a wave of gentle heat.

He moaned, weakly, when one of the hands wrapped around his dick. Another started thumbing at his nipple, but quickly moved on to drag down his chest, making Grian sigh.

In his dream, Grian saw eyes, watching him with kind, heated looks. He felt safe, he felt good.

It was a nice dream.

When Grian woke up, it was to Bdubs’ whispers in his ear, “Wake up, Gri. You’re all clean, and I think it’s time to get you to bed. How do you feel?” A soft kiss was pressed to the top of his head, and Grian blinked sleepily.

He stretched his legs in the water, assessing his physical state - and he let out another yawn at how boneless and content he felt. “I feel… really good.” Then, he added, “Huh. You’re so good at this, Bdubs. That was nice!”

Bdubs chuckled behind him. “Well, you certainly _sounded_ like you were enjoying yourself. I’m glad it was to your liking. Come on, let’s get you dried up.”

Grian didn’t really want to move, but he pulled away from Bdubs’ arms nonetheless. He watched as the other man stepped out of the tub first, wrapping a towel around himself before grabbing a fluffy bathrobe. Then, he turned to Grian, holding the fabric out invitingly.

Grian reluctantly left the bath, and the goosebumps that immediately spread out over his skin were soothed by Bdubs wrapping the robe around him, and Grian gave the other man a grateful smile.

Bdubs stepped around him, and Grian was about to voice a question when he felt the touch of a dry towel rubbing at his hair, and Grian sighed as he let the other man work.

After Bdubs deemed his hair to be appropriately dry, the man said, “One moment while I get dressed, yeah?”

Grian nodded, turning to watch the other man as he put on a clean pair of underwear and some loose pants. He admired Bdubs’ back, droplets of water from his hair tracing down the bumps and ridges of the man’s spine. Bdubs threw a look over his shoulder, and caught Grian staring.

Grian simply smiled at him, and Bdubs returned it with a small grin of his own. “You like what you see?” Bdubs asked.

“You know I do.”

A small bark of laughter followed from the other man. “Well, I’d sure hope so!”

Bdubs finished getting dressed, and then he gestured for Grian to move into the hallway once again. “This way, please - I’ll show you to the bedroom.”

Grian sighed softly, “Thank you, Bdubs - really.”

Bdubs hummed in reply, before walking ahead of Grian, leading the way through the corridors and hallways, until they came to an open door. When Grian looked to the right, he could see Doc’s half of the house through the mildly terrifying gap leading a few floors down to the ground level.

“Through here,” Bdubs said, gesturing towards the doorway. “Do you need anything else tonight?”

Grian turned away from the drop, facing the other man. “No, thank you. Have a good night, Bdubs.”

“And to you! Good night!”

With that, Bdubs turned around and made his way down the hallway once more. Grian was left behind in front of the open door, and he took a deep breath before entering the master bedroom.

Keralis was already in bed, lounging on his back and thumbing through the pages of a book, back resting against the headboard of the bed. His eyes, wide and warm, met Grian’s.

“Sweet-face! You’re back. How was your bath?”

Grian smiled at the other man, before approaching the bed when Keralis put the book away before patting the spot next to him invitingly. “It was really nice. Bdubs is very good at his job, huh?”

Keralis’ eyes shimmered. “Indeed he _is!_ Now, I must admit - I might have come looking for you at one point because the two of you were taking so long, and it certainly seemed like you were having fun,” he giggled, making Grian’s cheeks darken with colour.

“Ah,” Grian replied, dumbly. “Yes, well.” He stopped beside the bed, hesitating before ridding himself of his bathrobe. He was… rather nude, beneath it.

“Oh, there’s no need to be shy, Brian! Papa K doesn’t judge. Now, why haven’t you joined me yet? Is something the matter?”

Grian chuckled, “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just very naked beneath this robe. I hope you don’t mind?”

Keralis’ smile widened. “Not at all, sweet-face! Come now, and then we can talk before sleep claims you once more, yes?”

“Yeah,” Grian said, voice soft as he untied the bathrobe, letting the fabric slip from his shoulders before hanging it up on the bedpost to dry overnight. The night was cold this close to the mountains, and Grian shivered as he hurried to join Keralis beneath the covers of the bed, huddling close to the other man to soak up the warmth of his skin.

“Better?” Keralis asked him, slipping one arm beneath Grian’s neck, pulling him close.

“Very,” Grian mumbled, feeling loose-limbed and relaxed. He forced his eyes to remain open though, wanting to stay awake for the conversation the two of them were about to have. “So,” Grian said after a few moments, feeling Keralis’ fingers card through his hair, “What did you have in mind for the morning?”

Keralis chuckled. “Eager, sweet-face? Good - so am I. I had a few different ideas in mind, but it is of course up to you to pick whichever one you want.”

Grian nodded, “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Let’s hear the options, then.”

“First one is pretty simple. We send Bubbles over to Doc’s place, and the two of us have some fun while watching them doing their thing. You don’t have that achievement, no? The lookie-lookie one?”

“I don’t,” Grian confirmed, feeling his heart picking up its pace. That… certainly sounded tempting. “What else?”

Keralis hummed, saying, “Well, the second option would be more teasing, for you, I think - I could tie you up, edge you until you beg… and then have sex with Bubbles in front of you. Afterwards, we’d both take care of you, of course.”

Grian made a small sound in the back of his throat. That sounded… _yes._ “Wow,” he said, slightly breathlessly. “Any other ideas?”

“Yes,” Keralis said, and the smile, though hidden from Grian’s eyes, was evident in his voice. “The final idea I had would be really fun, I think. We can have Bubbles… _serve_ you a bit more, and I’ll let you give him his tips.”

Grian blinked, feeling like he was missing something. “What—”

“You know, sweet-face,” Keralis purred. “You can _give_ him the diamonds he’s worked so hard for.”

Grian’s breath caught. “Oh.”

“Yes,” Keralis said, voice sweet like honey as it poured over Grian’s sleepy mind, tempting and ensnaring. “And let me tell you - he makes the _cutest_ sounds when he’s filled like that. I’m sure he wouldn’t disappoint.”

“Yes,” Grian panted, and it was almost like he could see what Keralis was describing, right before his eyes. “Yes, that’s what I want. Gods, Keralis.”

Keralis hummed, “Good choice. Anything you’d like to add to the plan, then?”

Grian squirmed, feeling embarrassed when he replied, “Um. I, I kind of really like the idea of you watching the two of us, so—” He swallowed, before continuing. “So do you think… maybe… um, maybe he could, if he wants to, maybe fuck me again? Like, in the morning, before I wake up? I really enjoyed what he was doing in the bath, so…” Grian trailed off.

A bright, excited giggle left Keralis’ mouth. “Oh, sweet-face! You are just perfect. I’ll send him a message and let him know, and he can decide if he wants to do that or not - though I’m sure you’ll get what you want. Bubbles is very fond of sleep.”

“I know,” Grian whispered, hiding the lower part of his face beneath the covers.

“Anything else?”

Grian thought about it, before he added, “Yes. After I’ve… given him his tips, shall we say? I would like for you to fuck me. Or I could fuck you. Or suck you off. Or - pretty much whatever you’d like, really. Would that be okay?”

“Of course, sweet-face. I would love to. We can decide the specifics of that part in the moment though, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” Grian nodded, feeling the late hour and how relaxed and spent his body was from the long day. His brief nap in the bathtub hadn’t been enough to stave off sleep for too long. “Sleep?”

Keralis pressed a kiss to the top of his head, and Grian sighed softly. “Yes,” Keralis agreed. “Let’s go to sleep. Don’t be surprised if you wake up feeling really, _really_ good in the morning.”

Grian was pretty sure he replied, mumbling out a slightly slurred, “I won’t,” before he drifted off, but he wasn’t completely certain he hadn’t just imagined it. The next thing he knew was darkness, and then he was dreaming.

  
  
  


He was lying down. He shifted, and felt hands caress his back. Instinctively, he knew it was Ren, without even having to look. Grian sighed, and let himself relax. The hands moved, dragging down his skin and removing the duvet that had been covering him as they went along. A kiss was pressed to his shoulder blade, and suddenly the hands were no longer Ren’s - they were _Doc’s._

Grian whined when he felt the cold touch of a prosthetic hand settle on his ass, and he shivered - only to hear Doc make a soothing noise, shushing him gently.

Grian settled, and soon enough something warm was draped over him, making him moan as it chased the chill away.

Then, the hands on him belonged to Scar, and Grian keened when he felt calloused fingers rubbing at his hole. Then, Grian must have fallen deeper into sleep, because when he next found his dream continuing, it was to gentle heat and slow friction, gradually building up and pulling him under in calm waves.

Grian moaned.

Then, he heard a low moan respond to his own, and it sounded different to what he’d heard in his dream. Slightly off, more distant. Grian frowned, feeling confused as wakefulness pulled at his mind, trying to figure out what had been so strange about the sound.

It returned, another low sound being moaned out against his ear, and the more Grian tried to focus on it, the closer to fully waking up he got.

Grian felt the bed shift beneath him, and he groaned. He dragged his face against the pillow, trying to burrow inside it, once he realised he was waking up. The dream had been so nice - and he couldn’t help but to childishly try to block out the sights and sounds and other sensations of the world, wanting to go back to the blissfulness that was sleep.

His eyes snapped open when he heard hoarse laughter, feeling a warm breath of air against his neck accompanying the sound, and then—

Hips snapped against his own, and Grian let out a startled moan, the loudness of it surprising him. There - there was a dick in his ass. Grian groaned at the belated realisation, hands grabbing onto fistfuls of the sheets he was laying on as he felt his face burn. He was already hard - _dripping,_ even, and Grian realised he must have been rubbing himself against the bed while he slept.

“Ah, sweet-face, you’re awake!”

Grian’s head shot towards the man who’d spoken. He looked, wide-eyed, at where Keralis was lying on his side, slowly stroking himself as he watched Grian getting fucked back to consciousness, skin flushed and mouth panting as his brain tried to catch up with everything that was happening to his body.

Keralis smiled sweetly when their eyes met, and he seemed to enjoy seeing Grian’s dazed expression, because his next words were, “You’ve been making some nice noises for a while. I’m surprised it took you this long to wake up! Bubbles here, as you can probably tell, was more than happy to fulfill your request from last night.”

Another thrust, slick and deep inside of him, made Grian moan again, voice muddled with sleep still, and another lazy wave of heat spread throughout his body. He looked over his shoulder and met Bdubs’ eyes.

Bdubs’ skin was flushed, from the top of his head and all the way down to his chest. His eyes were dark, intense, as he stared intently at Grian.

Grian watched, panting, as Bdubs bit his lip, not quite managing to stifle the groan that spilled from his mouth at his next thrust into Grian’s pliant body.

“Hi,” Grian said, breathlessly, before breaking their gazes and letting his head relax down on the mattress again. Another thrust made his breath catch at the warmth that spread through him. He felt so _good._

“Morning, sunshine,” Bdubs panted out in between gentle gasps of air. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Grian said, before moaning softly as the other man brushed past his prostate, making sparks of sensation travel through his limbs. “K-keep going.”

Keralis cooed at them. “Oh yes, Bubbles - please, keep going. We’ll make sure to reward you _richly_ for your services, won’t we, sweet-face?”

Grian choked on his own spit when he was reminded of what him and Keralis had planned for the day. It only spurred him on, making his gut tighten as he clenched around Bdubs’ dick. The man moaned behind him in response, _grinding_ inwards on his next thrust. Grian cried out as it shoved him even further into the mattress, making his own dick drag over the fabric in a way that felt maddening.

Another spurt of precome, making the mattress grow sticky beneath him. Grian’s breath hitched as Bdubs pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade, warm hands tightening around his hips.

Bdubs’ pace was slow and maddening. The man kept up the same rhythm he’d had while Grian was still asleep, steady but deep thrusts, and Grian felt himself getting lost in the gentle pleasure washing over him in waves.

Grian moaned at another press to his prostate. He felt warm and heavy, and he had no problem staying pliant on the bed while Bdubs did all the work for the two of them.

“Such pretty boys,” Keralis moaned, his voice sweet and a bit breathless. “I must say, I’m very pleased to see my boys playing nice. Tell me, Bubbles - how does he feel?”

Bdubs groaned against Grian’s ear, his breath tickling Grian’s skin.

“He feels incredible. Warm and wet and relaxed, gripping me so nicely. He’s so pliant for me, taking _everything_ I’m giving him—”

Grian moaned, feeling shivers at Bdubs’ words start travelling down his spine, making him feel even more warm and boneless than before. His body was trembling, the slowly building heat making him grip the fabric even tighter, and he arched his back a bit, shoving his ass back to meet Bdubs’ next thrust.

Keralis moaned at the display, and Bdubs responded by grinding in again, hips circling as his dick pressed against Grian’s prostate, _rubbing_ over it and making Grian’s vision go hazy at the corners as his breath caught.

“Please,” Grian whispered, breathless and so, so close.

“Come on, Bubbles - give him what he wants. What kind of host are you if you leave your guests begging?” Keralis said, and Grian could _hear_ the slick noises of the man stroking himself.

“O-of course, anything for my honoured guests,” Bdubs panted out, voice sounding strained as he kept thrusting, pausing to grind inwards whenever he bottomed out.

Grian felt his orgasm building up, making his legs tense up and his voice break into a high-pitched whine. He trembled - the sensations and sparks were muddling together, pleasure dancing through him and filling every nook and cranny of his body with brightness and heat at the continued pressure against his prostate. He rubbed his dick against the mattress, keening at the slightly rough feeling—

With a moan, Grian came. The pressure that had been building up in his gut broke, releasing gentle waves of bliss that swept through him, leaving behind tingles and untensed muscles.

Keralis cooed beside him again, and Grian felt his cheeks grow warm, even as he continued circling his hips, chasing both the continued feeling of Bdubs inside him and the sticky-rough texture of the mattress against his dick, riding out the ends of his orgasm.

Bdubs groaned, “May I—”

Keralis cut him off. “No, you may not. Pull out, now. We have plans for you.”

Grian flinched at the devastated moan that left Bdubs’ lips, so close to his own ear that it felt like the sound was carrying _through_ him. He winced when Bdubs pulled out, before Grian sighed softly in relief. He clenched, and he felt that he was still wet and relaxed. Grian keened in the back of his throat, before sluggishly turning around until he was lying on his back.

The sight of Bdubs kneeling on the bed before him made Grian bite his lower lip.

Bdubs’ cheeks were tinted an even deeper pink than before, and his eyes were dark and slightly glazed over. Bdubs’ chest was heaving, and Grian’s eyes trailed down the straining muscles until he could take in the sight of the man’s dick.

Grian made a small noise of sympathy when he saw just how hard the man was, the tip of his dick flushed a deep red, and the shaft was covered in lube from when he’d been inside Grian, slick and glistening. It looked painful, how aroused Bdubs clearly was.

He was broken out of his musings by the sound of Keralis’ voice.

“Sweet-face?”

Grian shot Keralis a look, finding that the man had not stopped stroking himself. His eyes were big and warm, shining with lust and affection. Grian licked his lips. “Yes?”

“Are you happy with his performance? Do you think he deserves his reward?”

Bdubs moaned pitifully before him, and Grian felt his heart lurch in his chest as it picked up speed, once more thrumming rapidly against his ribcage. “I’m very pleased. He did a good job.”

Keralis’ eyes lit up with something slightly manic, just for a moment.

“You want papa K to give you some diamonds to spend?”

Grian’s breath hitched, heat continuing to circle through his limbs, despite the fact he’d just come. “Yes, please.” He heard Bdubs whine, but Grian’s eyes were locked on Keralis’.

Keralis smiled sweetly at him, a deceptively innocent contrast to how the man was still stroking himself, thumbing lazily with the head of his own dick. “Good boy, sweet-face. I like it when you’re polite like that. I also like seeing you all pliant and adorable - you were quite the sight to wake up to.”

Grian’s cheeks coloured, and he ducked his head slightly. He turned his head around, and met Bdubs’ eyes once more. The man was already watching him through hooded eyelids, lips parted as he panted shallowly.

He heard Keralis rustling around his inventory, and then Grian could see something blue and shiny at the edge of his vision.

Grian turned back towards Keralis, and found the man offering him three diamonds, as well as a bottle of lube in his other hand. Grian accepted the items with only the slightest of tremors to his fingers. Keralis whispered, “Go on, you can tell him what to do - how you want him. He’ll do _anything_ for those diamonds, sweet-face.”

Grian met Bdubs’ eyes with a questioning gaze, and the man bit his lip as he seemed to hesitate. Grian noticed how Bdubs was shivering, straining his muscles to stop himself from touching himself as he waited for Keralis or Grian to act. Slowly, Bdubs nodded, averting his gaze as he let his eyes lower.

Grian quite enjoyed the sight.

“Bdubs?” Grian said, voice kind.

The man in front of him flinched at the sound of Grian speaking. “Y-yes?”

“Mind going on your hands and knees? Back turned to me?”

A moment of suspense hung over them as they waited for Bdubs’ response.

“...okay.”

Grian barely took a breath while Bdubs changed positions, tense with anticipation as Bdubs slowly turned around until his back, ass and thighs were facing Grian.

Grian licked his lips, before adding, “Chest to the mattress, please?”

Again, Bdubs hesitated, but slowly the man lowered himself until his upper body was pressed to the surface of the bed, leaving only his ass sticking up, presented to Grian in a tantalizing display as Bdubs arched his back. “Like this?” Bdubs mumbled, sounding embarrassed.

“Just like that,” Grian said, feeling the heat pulsing through his body burn even hotter. “Perfect. Thank you, Bdubs - you’re doing so well for me.”

The other man stifled a moan against the mattress, but the sound still carried enough for Grian to pick up on it.

Grian startled when Keralis spoke again. For a moment he’d forgotten that the man was even there—

“Do you want to go straight to the main part? Or do you want to play with him some more, first?”

Grian’s breath caught - mind already spinning with all the possibilities. Keralis continued, “Because you can if you want. Bubbles here will not come unless I give him permission, but you’re welcome to try. Up to you, sweet-face!”

“I,” Grian said, feeling his face warm up as he took in the way Bdubs trembled before him. He decided to take pity in the other man, who’d done nothing but treat him amazingly during Grian’s stay at the man’s house so far. “I won’t tease him _too_ badly. But, I will take my time to make sure he’s ready for the diamonds.” When he saw that Keralis was about to speak up again, Grian added, “—Whether he needs the preparation or not.”

Keralis paused, before nodding, seemingly pleased. He kept stroking his cock slowly, and Grian bit his lip when his eyes couldn’t help but to follow the movement, just for a moment.

A small sound from Bdubs pulled Grian’s attention back to where it was needed. Grian sat up on the bed proper, placing the diamonds and lube beside Bdubs’ spread legs, before getting on his hands and knees himself, slowly crawling towards where the other man was lying.

Grian heard Keralis gasp softly. “Oh!” Apparently the man had realised Grian’s plan.

He paid the other man no mind as Grian placed both hands on either cheek of Bdubs’ ass, before spreading him slowly, exposing the man’s hole to a soft exhale of Grian’s breath. Bdubs twitched, hole clenching before it relaxed again, the man’s breath catching on a moan as his spine dipped further, upper body pressing into the bed as Bdubs shoved his backside into Grian’s hands.

Keralis chuckled beside them.

Grian licked his lips. Then, he leaned in to let his closed mouth touch the soft rim, velvety and pink and warm against his lips.

Bdubs whined, and Grian huffed out a laugh through his nose. He pulled back, before diving right back in with parted lips as he pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the other man’s hole. Grian let his tongue flutter around, tracing the soft skin as he felt the muscles there clench and move in response.

Grian let his tongue dip in, just a little—

A loud cry sounded from the man before him as Bdubs wiggled his ass back onto Grian’s face, chasing his tongue when it retreated.

Keralis giggled sweetly. “Ooh, sweet-face… It seems like you’re quite good with your mouth!”

Grian hummed in response, opening his mouth further before letting his fingers dig slightly into the soft flesh of Bdubs’ ass - and then he stretched his tongue out, pressing the tip past the rim. He felt the muscles clench down on him, making him have to work to press his tongue in the rest of the way, but the stream of sounds leaving Bdubs’ mouth made it worth it.

The man’s hips were constantly moving, now, and Grian decided to give him a break. He let his grip loosen until it was no longer restraining, and then Grian dutifully kept his mouth wide open, tongue sticking out as he let Bdubs grind against his face.

“Such a gracious guest… don’t you agree, Bubbles? Remember, he is _paying you_ to get to do this.” The sound of Keralis’ voice made the heat in Grian’s body intensify, and with a groan, eyebrows pulling downwards in a frown as it coursed through him, Grian felt himself beginning to grow hard again.

Bdubs was babbling, but over his own noises, Grian picked up on the sound of his name being spoken.

_“—Grian,_ so good, so nice, I’m so thankful, oh, oh - gods, it’s so _wet—”_

Grian moaned, the sound becoming muffled by Bdubs’ continued movement against his face, hips stuttering backwards into Grian’s awaiting palms.

By the time his jaw started aching from keeping his lips parted and his tongue out, straining against the resistance of Bdubs’ clenching muscles, Grian decided to move on. He _had_ promised not to tease too much, and Bdubs had already been shaking before Grian even started eating him out.

With a wet noise, Grian pulled his tongue out. Bdubs cried out at the loss, hips twitching back towards Grian’s face as the man struggled to control his movements.

Grian sat up until he was kneeling behind the other man. He stretched out his neck, before making quick work of slicking up his own fingers, running one hand soothingly over the swell of Bdubs’ ass and shushing him gently when the man started whimpering.

He slid three fingers in straight away, curling them as he sought out the other man’s prostate. Keralis gasped out, _“Oh!”,_ a small, happy-sounding noise, around the same time Bdubs went rigid beneath Grian’s hands.

Bdubs’ body was frozen for a moment, and Grian pressed the tips of his fingers harder against the spot he’d found, massaging it in short, hard circles. The reaction was immediate. Bdubs jerked beneath Grian’s hands, his body spasming as he let out a scream. The sound rang loud in Grian’s ears, echoing back to him from the empty space where the wall was supposed to be.

Keralis moaned, followed by more slick sounds. “Bubbles - you’re not going to come yet, are you? Don’t you want your diamonds? Come on, show us how good you can be, how _obedient—”_

Grian had to close his eyes and take a grounding breath at the way Keralis’ words affected him, making his body feel like it was running a fever, sensitive and heated and high-strung.

Bdubs was no longer speaking, and over the man’s shoulders, Grian could see that he was clenching the sheets with a white-knuckled grip, whimpers and gasps and panted sobs leaving the man’s mouth as he trembled, trying to stave off his orgasm.

Grian took a deep breath before pulling his fingers out. He picked up the bottle of lube before applying a generous amount to his left palm. Grian discarded the bottle, and picked up the first of the three diamonds lying on the bed.

The gem was smooth and slightly cool to the touch when Grian ran his fingers over the surface of it, searching for any imperfections or sharp edges despite knowing the fact that the diamonds they used as currency were always polished to perfection.

Satisfied with the state of the diamond, Grian rubbed his slick palm over the surface, coating it with the clear liquid.

With only a slight tremble to his fingers, Grian gripped the diamond carefully as he tried not to let it slip from his fingers, before pressing it to the fluttering rim of Bdubs’ hole. Grian used his palm to grind the gem inwards just enough so that he didn’t risk dropping it, and then he paused.

“Breathe,” he whispered, waiting for Bdubs to take a deeper, more steady inhale than the shallow gasps the man had been doing.

Grian saw Bdubs’ ribcage expand, painfully slowly - and then Grian grinded his palm against Bdubs’ ass, pressing the diamond in further. There was no sound when Bdubs’ muscles relaxed enough for the gem to slide past the rim, but Grian could imagine the ‘pop’ of it, the way it must have _felt,_ nonetheless.

“How’s that, huh, Bdubs?” Grian panted. He couldn’t help but to lean forward a bit, letting his own weight settle against the other man’s hips and the small of his back, Grian’s dick rubbing between Bdubs’ cheeks. “You - _haah,_ you ready for another?”

A mute nod was the only response Grian got, and after shooting a quick glance towards Keralis and finding an encouraging smile on the other man’s face, Grian picked up the second of the three diamonds.

He repeated the process, covering the gem with lube before pressing it firmly against Bdubs’ hole before pausing. This time, he didn’t need to remind the other man to breathe, as Bdubs took another deep breath when he felt Grian stop applying pressure. Then, the diamond slipped in, and Grian followed after it with a finger, finding no resistance in the muscles that had been stretched out enough for the gems to enter.

Grian panted when his finger pressed against the unyielding surface of the diamond, which had stopped its inwards glide just past the rim. He nudged it further along, just a bit - testing Bdubs’ reaction, and he was not disappointed.

A high keen spilled past Bdubs’ lips, followed by the man thrusting his ass back against Grian’s fingers, making his behind press snugly against Grian’s pelvis.

Again, Grian had to shut his eyes to center himself a bit, to regain some semblance of control, of composure - and when he once more opened his eyes, Grian went straight for the last diamond.

His fingers skimmed across the surface, keeping the checkup brief. More lube was applied, and then Grian pressed the diamond against Bdubs’ ass. This time, he didn’t stop to let the other man catch his breath.

Grian grinded his palm against the diamond, and he felt the way the gems scraped against one another inside of the other man when Grian kept pushing the last diamond in.

Bdubs was barely breathing, limbs trembling and small, stuttered movements of his hips against Grian’s hands. Grian found that he needed to keep his palm against Bdubs’ hole - the last diamond kept almost slipping out, but Grian didn’t want the man to miss out on that _particular_ brand of fullness that he knew was as intoxicating as it was maddening, edging the lines between ecstasy and overwhelming.

Grian shot a wide-eyed, _pleading_ glance at Keralis when the man maintained his silence. Surely, this would have to be enough - Bdubs should be given permission to come, gods, Grian was aching _for_ him—

Keralis’ eyes were big and dark, a flush resting high on the man’s cheeks. His expression was so incredibly _fond_ that Grian found his breath catching slightly in his throat—

“Well done, Bubbles. You may come.”

Grian watched in awe as Bdubs collapsed on the bed, neck bending as he threw his head back in a soundless scream, hips twitching into the mattress as he rode out the obviously intense waves of pleasure. Grian pulled his hand away, and one of the diamonds slipped out, landing heavily on the mattress. Bdubs didn’t even seem to notice, too caught up in the heat wrecking through his body.

“Pretty, isn’t he?” Keralis murmured.

Grian could only agree, nodding mutely as he took in the captivating image Bdubs was projecting to the two of them.

By the time Bdubs had stopped moving, only the unsteady movements of his ribcage as the man breathed and the faint tremors still ghosting over his frame betraying the fact that Bdubs was still conscious, as well as the small noises escaping when the man exhaled.

“Well done, Bubbles! You’ve got two satisfied customers, right here. Five star reviews for sure,” Keralis said, voice sounding slightly strained, but giddy and happy, too. Then, the man turned to Grian. “And sweet-face?”

Grian met the man’s big eyes. “Y-yes?”

“I’m proud of you. You did very well in taking care of him, playing along with our game. Thank you.”

Grian felt the tight feeling that had been coiling around and inside his gut give a sharp squeeze, letting the praises wash over him. “Thank you, Keralis,” Grian breathed, voice sounding fragile and unsteady.

Keralis smiled at him. “Have you thought more about what you want right now?”

“I—” Grian licked his lips, before shaking his head slowly. “I want… too much. Everything. Can you decide? Please?”

Keralis’ smile softened, and Grian shivered as the man’s eyes grew warmer as they traced over Grian’s frame. “Of course, sweet-thing. Do you mind if I pick out a toy to help me make you feel good?”

Grian’s breath caught. “No, go- go right ahead.”

“You’re being so good for papa K. Get on your hands and knees - facing Doc’s mansion, same position you had Bubbles be in, okay?”

Another surge of heat passed through him, both at the parallel to how he’d directed Bdubs, and at the reminder that there was no wall protecting their privacy - and if Doc was home, he’d be able to see and hear _everything_ the three of them were doing.

There was a reason why Grian had been trying to ignore the other man’s half of the mansion, gaping at him from across the clearing. If Grian had no proof of the opposite, he could pretend like Doc’s eyes were on him, and him only, while all of this was happening.

Grian remained quiet, but he quickly moved down the bed until he was lying on his stomach next to Bdubs, before drawing his knees up under himself, spreading them as he raised his ass up in the air.

The bed shifted when Keralis moved in between Grian’s legs. “I don’t think you need any more preparing, so I’ll leave it up to you whether you want me to or not,” Keralis said, voice sounding matter-of-factly as Grian heard the squirting of the bottle of lube behind him.

Grian pressed his cheek into the mattress, shooting a glance at where Bdubs was lying beside him. The man’s eyes were closed, but his lips were parted, drawing in slow, steady breaths.

He was beautiful.

“I trust Bdubs prepped me enough. Go on with it, please,” Grian said, feeling warm, exposed, and just a tiny bit dazed. It was perfect.

Lips pressed to his right buttcheek in a gentle kiss. Grian hadn’t been expecting it, and he flinched away from the touch for a moment before huffing out a chuckle as he settled down again. “I’m just warning you - my control is not as good as Bdubs’. If you start eating me out now, I’m _gonna_ come.”

“Aw, sweet-cheeks—” And Grian giggled quietly at the new, appropriately fitting nickname, what with Keralis literally kissing his ass as the man spoke, “—maybe another time, then. I’ve got a little friend for you to meet. I’m sure you will get along,” Keralis whispered, and the breath carrying the words tickled Grian’s skin, making him shiver pleasantly.

“I’m ready,” Grian panted, already feeling a slim, hard object prodding at his hole, before dipping past his rim, sliding inwards and making a soft moan trail from his lips.

“And now, I’d like to join in on the fun, if you don’t mind?” Keralis said, lips pulling away from Grian’s skin as he felt the mattress shift again as Keralis changed positions behind him.

Grian clenched down on the hard plastic of the toy, sighing quietly at the way his walls fluttered around it, before nodding. “Yes - go right ahead. I want you inside me, please.”

Another coo left Keralis’ lips, and a steady hand settled on Grian’s hip. Grian felt the warm, slick touch of the man’s dick pressing against his hole, making his muscles tighten before relaxing in anticipation. The pressure against the toy made the object slide inwards a bit more, and Grian keened in the back of his throat.

“This won’t last long, I don’t think,” Keralis gently said, sounding a bit apologetic. Then, “at least - not for _me._ I’m planning to pull at least two more orgasms from you, if you think you can handle it.”

Grian’s mind blanked out, just for a bit. Heat coarsed through him, and his dick was throbbing against his stomach as he clenched around the toy. Keralis was just starting to press inside of him, and as the head of his cock slipped past the rim of muscle, joining the toy inside of him, and Grian wheezed, _“Yes.”_

He was being spread open, his muscles forced to relax around the stretch of Keralis’ dick and the hard plastic of the toy. Grian whined when the other man used his spare hand to nudge the toy further in as well, the rounded tip of it reaching even deeper than Keralis’ cock did.

When Keralis bottomed out with a small grunt, he paused, one hand playing gently with the toy as he let Grian catch his breath.

Grian squirmed when he felt the other man move the hard plastic object around, pressing it just that little bit deeper before allowing it to slip outwards again, repeating the small movement that made sparks dance behind Grian’s closed eyelids as it dragged over his inner walls.

Keralis moaned when Grian helplessly clenched down around him, the toy having pressed into his prostate and making him tighten up around it, trying to keep it pressing against the sensitive spot.

“You ready for more yet?” Keralis panted above him, and Grian forced himself to keep still.

“Yes,” he hissed, trying to keep his composure, eyes shut tightly as he let his fingers curl into the sheets, gripping them as he prepared for the other man to start thrusting inside of him. It never happened.

Keralis fiddled with the base of the toy a bit more, and suddenly Grian’s body was burning up from the inside out, scalding, overwhelming heat spreading out from his core and pulsing through him with an intensity that bordered on violent.

Grian _screamed_ as the toy - a vibrator, of _course_ it was a vibrator - was nudged deeper, and then it was pressing against his prostate—

When Keralis moved the vibrator enough so that the ceaseless vibrations were no longer flooding his brain and body with the merciless assault of input, having pressed directly into his prostate and making his body lock up, Grian was sobbing.

“Oh, sweet-face… you’re simply exquisite,” Keralis moaned above him, hips twitching against Grian’s as the toy inside of Grian obviously stimulated the other man as well, from how tightly Keralis’ cock was being squeezed up against it, Grian’s walls fluttering and tightening around the widths spreading him open.

Grian’s eyes were open, but he could not see - the dull browns of the wooden structure in front of him were all blending into one, and his vision was blurred with overwhelmed tears.

“M-more, please, K—”

Keralis’ breath hitched around a drawn-out groan. _“Yes,_ sweet-face, give it all to papa K. You may come whenever you like, but I will keep going until I’m done. Afterwards, I’ll let you keep the toy for you to play with, okay?” Warm palms were rubbing soothing circles into Grian’s hips.

Grian moaned as he felt the toy being nudged deeper when Keralis thrust shallowly inside him, grinding inwards and moving the vibrations until they were centralised at the very edges of his prostate, the thrill and heat enough to drive him mad, but teasing enough for his tears to finally start spilling down his cheeks, soaking into the mattress beneath him.

A high keen spilled from Grian’s mouth, and then the vibrations were moved to where he needed them.

His hips twitched as his legs locked up. Searing heat was taking over all his higher brain power and focus, and through the inferno that was blazing, trapped beneath his skin, Grian was aware he was making noises, cries and pleads pouring from his parted lips. His back was bowing, chest dragging over the mattress as he shoved his ass back towards Keralis, making the man’s cock press deeper inside him.

It was overwhelming, and it was perfect. It was way, way too much. The buzzing of the toy felt like it was reverberating through his entire body, every limb being shaken from its core and disconnecting until all he could feel were the vibrations.

Grian didn’t fall over the edge of his orgasm so much as he was shoved, face-first into the abyss of release. He couldn’t see, couldn’t think - only the thrumming of pleasure and waves of relief beat through him, and he could hear Keralis cry out when Grian clenched down as he rode out his orgasm.

He noted that the other man’s hips were stuttering against his own, and then he felt the slickness that told him that Keralis had released inside him, moans and panting breaths leaving the man’s mouth and settling deep in Grian’s bones.

Grian made a soft sound when Keralis pulled out, and he couldn’t help but to clench almost desperately around the still-vibrating toy as the full feeling dissipated.

“Wow,” Keralis said, sounding out of breath. Grian could barely focus on the man’s words, his own body just barely settling down as the vibrations didn’t stop, didn’t move. He twitched, and Keralis continued, “That was beautiful, sweet-face. Are you ready for your last one?”

Grian sobbed when he was reminded of Keralis’ words from before, and he whimpered, “K, I - I don’t think I can go again.”

“Yes, you can. If you need to safeword, use the traffic light signals - but I know you can do it.”

He grimaced, tears and drool making the mattress grow damp and sticky beneath his face. Grian nodded, and Keralis said, “Such a good boy for me. Come on, now - just one more orgasm for papa K. You can do it, sweet-face.”

The knuckles of Grian’s fingers turned white from how tightly he was clutching the sheets of the bed, and Grian grunted as he flexed the muscles of his thighs, trying to keep himself high-strung, to not let go of the edge, despite how he’d just come.

Keralis started moving the vibrator, and Grian cried out when the rounded tip of the toy was nudged around until it was pressing firmly against his prostate. Grian’s vision went blank, and the heat coursing through him was as scalding and painful as it was to die by falling into lava. It _felt_ like he was dying, and surely he must be—

Grian’s muscles were cramping up, his limbs were spasming outside of his control, and he heard himself making noises, crying and begging and whimpering.

The sensations were filling his senses, and Grian couldn’t take stock of anything going on outside of himself - everything was just heat, pain, his own noises and the way he was burning up alive, melting from the inside out.

Grian was right up on the edge again, but it was not a quick drop to his release this time. It _hurt._

The orgasm was ripped from his body as it tore him apart, and it didn’t feel anything like his orgasms from before. Grian could _feel_ himself contracting around the vibrator, but the wave of bliss was absent. His body was growing numb, and Grian wasn’t sure if the toy had been switched off or if he could no longer feel it.

Everything was blank. Grian just breathed.

He slammed back into his own body, and the moment he did, he _screamed._ Everything was still burning, the vibrations were still consentrated on his prostate, and it was too much too much _too much—_

With a click, the vibrator was turned off. Grian was left with nothing, his body cold as the toy was pulled out before he collapsed on the bed, eyes open but unseeing.

Words were being spoken, but Grian couldn’t pay attention enough to pick out what was being said.

He blinked, and the light outside had changed. It was brighter, more radiant. The brown tones of the mansion in front of him had gained a warmer hue, and Grian felt the damp touch of a washcloth wiping him down, moving over his back and bottom, dragging down his thighs. His body was still buzzing.

Grian sighed, and blinked again.

When he next opened his eyes, a hand was combing through his hair. Grian turned his face to look up at the man sitting beside him on the bed, and Keralis’ big eyes were gazing at him with a soft expression.

“Are you back, sweet-face?”

Grian made a small sound, and nodded. His body was aching enough that he didn’t want to move, or speak, but he still needed to communicate with the other man. Keralis seemed to understand Grian’s reluctance, because his smile widened as his hand stilled on Grian’s head.

“I’m glad. It hasn’t been too long - an hour at the most, but I was starting to get a bit worried. Bubbles made breakfast for us! Do you want anything?”

Again, Grian nodded. Keralis helped him sit up when he noticed how Grian’s arms were still trembling when the smaller man tried to push himself upright. Grian ended up propped up against Keralis’ chest, resting in between the taller man’s legs as they pulled the blanket up to just beneath Grian’s chin.

Grian sighed, and let himself relax into the warm, safe feeling.

“The food should be here soon. I told Bubbles to bring it right up, after he’d cleaned up. I took care of you while you were still out of it - was that okay?”

Grian peeked above his shoulder to shoot a smile Keralis’ way. “Yeah,” he whispered, voice weak, but the words were still audible. “Thank you, K.”

Keralis’ eyes were sparkling, and Grian turned back around to let his neck relax back into its comfortable position, facing Doc’s half of the mansion.

“No problem, sweet-face. Did you have fun?”

“I did,” Grian said. His voice was still breathy. “How about Bdubs? And you?”

Keralis chuckled, his breath tickling Grian’s hair. “We had a ton of fun. Bubbles gushed enough about you eating him out that my stomach started rumbling, so I had to kick him out of bed before I got too excited.”

Grian giggled at that, glad that he’d been able to show the others as much of a good time as they’d shown him. “That makes me happy.”

“Me, too,” Keralis hummed out, sounding content. “Anything you didn’t like? Any aches or pains for me to know about?”

Grian thought about it, before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t think so? The vibrator might have been a bit much, right at the end there - usually I get a bit of reprieve in between orgasms, but I can’t say that I didn’t like being pushed that far. Just—” Grian took a breath, “—maybe let’s not try that too often? I like it more as a rare treat, I think.”

Keralis made a considering sound. “Are you sure? We don’t need to do it again if you didn’t—”

Grian cut him off, saying, “No no, I _did_ like it. A lot. Just, I don’t want it to happen every time, yeah?”

“Okay, sweet-face. I’m glad you liked it, then! You’re very pretty when you lose yourself in your pleasure, and even if it won’t be that intense every time, I’m happy you’ll let me experience you like that in the future as well.”

Grian felt a soft smile spread out on his face, Keralis’ arms tightening around him as they heard footsteps begin making their way up the stairs.

“Thank you, K,” Grian said. “Gods, what an amazing morning.”

Keralis giggled. “Oh, yes. I agree.”

The two of them delved into a comfortable silence as they waited for Bdubs to arrive with the food, both of them fully prepared for a lazy morning spent lounging in bed together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Toy - Netta


	14. Beneath the waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Lightning strike] Getting impaled by a trident during a thunderstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient while I worked on some other projects in October! Now we're back in the works for the achievement fic, and I am so excited to keep writing for it :D
> 
> For this chapter: mobfucking galore. Warnings: dubious consent bc mobs, marathon sex, coming dry, edging, tentacles, gangbang, oviposition, blood mention, minor injuries, underwater sex, descriptions of underwater breathing mechanics, slight descriptions and mentions of drowning, object insertion, temporary character death/respawn mechanics, overstimulation. I *think* that's it.
> 
> Mind the tags, stay safe, and have fun!

~ * ~

Once Bdubs arrived with a big pot of rabbit stew to be shared between the three of them, him, Keralis and Grian all lounged in bed as they ate. It was a relaxed affair, the three men talking and giggling amongst themselves.

In between a mouthful of stew, Bdubs rambled, “I still can’t believe you ate me out! Cruel, cruel man - did Keralis put you up to it? Did he tell you it is one of my favorite things?!”

Grian laughed as he tried not to choke around his own mouthful. “No, he didn’t. I just wanted to,” he said, cheeks flushing as he shot the other man a bashful glance.

Keralis cooed at him as Bdubs’ eyes widened.

“See, Bubbles? You’re not the only one who likes to serve.”

Grian looked down at the bowl of still-steaming stew in his lap. “Yeah. And I, uh, really enjoy it myself as well, so I guess I just wanted to treat you. I didn’t know if you were into it, but I gotta say that I hoped you would be.” Grian smiled down at his own folded legs, feeling warm and content beneath the duvet covering them.

“Grian?” Bdubs said. Grian looked at him with an enquiring expression, wordlessly asking the man to go on. “You, fine sir, are a blessing. Please, if you’d ever like me to return the favor, just let me know, okay?”

Grian’s smile widened. “I will! Thank you again, Bdubs.” Grian took another spoonful of stew, and as the rich, savoury taste burst out over his tongue, he let his eyes close appreciatively. After he’d swallowed, he added, “Goodness, you’re as talented in the kitchen as you are in bed, huh? My compliments to the chef,” he said with a playful smile.

Keralis’ face lit up with a smile. The man was already scraping at the bottom of his dish, having eaten a lot faster than the other two. “Oh yes, Bubbles! Brian is right - you’ve outdone yourself! Always the gracious host, so kind and… accommodating.”

Bdubs’ face went beet-red, and Grian giggled at him when the man started stammering.

The three of them kept chatting and teasing playfully as they finished their meal, and Grian found himself relaxing and enjoying the conversation and company greatly. Soon enough, their plates ran empty and their voices quieted down.

“Well, fine gents,” Grian said, handing his empty bowl off to Bdubs with a smile. “I do think it’s time for me to head off. This has been amazing, but I find myself inspired to work on my own base after seeing how amazing yours looks, Bdubs!”

“Aw, that’s too bad - I had hoped for you to stay a bit longer, but I can’t blame you for being inspired by Bubbles’ interior design! He’s so talented, isn’t he?” Keralis said.

Bdubs squirmed before stepping off of the bed. Grian let his eyes trail over the man’s naked body, quite enjoying the sight of the blush spreading over Bdubs’ skin.

“Oh, shush you two. Grian, let me fetch you your clothes - I had them cleaned last night, so they should be dry already - hopefully. Wait here,” and with that, Bdubs left the bedroom, not seeming to mind his own nudity.

Keralis’ head turned to look at Grian, and the smaller man met his gaze. Keralis’ eyes were warm and wide, and Grian found a blush of his own dusting his cheeks at the affection in the other man’s eyes.

“I’ve had an amazing time, sweet-face. I promise it won’t be long until you hear from me again, yes?”

Grian’s smile widened. “I’m counting on it.”

“Good,” Keralis said, eyes crinkling up at the corners as he smiled. “Come give papa K a kiss before you go?”

A giggle burst from Grian’s lips. “Of course, K.”

Grian crawled out from beneath the covers to straddle Keralis’ lap. The blanket was between them, but he didn’t mind. Keralis’ back was propped up against the headboard of the bed, and Grian leaned in to press a soft kiss to the other man’s mouth.

A small moan spilled from Keralis’s lips, and then a hand was tangling in Grian’s hair. He made a soft noise in the back of his throat, and when Keralis pulled him in further, using his grip on Grian’s hair to tilt the smaller man’s head, Grian went willingly.

The kiss deepened, soft lips working his own open with gentle movements, before a tongue darted out to tease at the sensitive skin of Grian’s lower lip. 

“Ah,” Grian gasped out, before breaking the kiss with an embarrassed giggle as he felt his dick twitch. “We better stop now, or I’ll be too excited to leave.”

Keralis’ eyes flashed with something hungry as he held Grian’s gaze. “That’s not much of an incentive, sweet-face.”

Grian let his eyes slip shut as a pleasant shiver worked its way down his back—

And then he gently untangled their limbs and climbed off of Keralis’ lap. The taller man hummed, but didn’t protest or try to stop Grian’s movements.

“I would love to stay,” Grian said, smiling sheepishly, “I really would. But, inspiration has struck. I need to start gathering resources right away - but we haven’t seen the last of each other, yeah?”

“Of course,” Keralis chuckled. “You will be hearing from me! Don’t forget to invite me to some of your achievements, and remember to pick up whatever you’d like from my base, sweet-face.”

Grian’s smile grew more genuine at that. “I will. Thank you, K.”

After Bdubs had returned with Grian’s clothes, he returned back to his hobbit hole. In the end, he hadn’t seen Doc at all during his stay at Bdubs’ place, though Grian thought he might have heard him, back when Grian had first tried to hide in Bdubs’ basement.

Well. He could always see if Doc had been active in the chats - and before starting on his resource gathering, that was exactly what Grian decided to do.

As he pulled up his communicator, the first thing Grian noticed was the counter tallying up the amounts of achievements the hermits had gotten. His eyes widened as he saw that Doc was in second place with eight… while Grian was currently in first.

With _thirteen_ achievements.

Grian hadn’t realised he’d gotten them that quickly, and he hurriedly scrolled through the chat until he reached the previous night.

_Grian has made the achievement [Traps and troubles]_

_Grian has made the achievement [Industrial revolution]_

Oh. That explained it, Grian mused before reading on.

_ <Iskall85> NO _

_ <Iskall85> i wanted that one :( _

_ <Etho> :( _

_ <Zedaph> :( _

_ <ImpulseSV> ?? _

_ <ImpulseSV> What is _

_ <ImpulseSV> ...oh _

_ <ImpulseSV> :( _

_ <TangoTek> :( _

_ <Xisuma> :( _

Grian snorted at the prolonged line of responses from - apparently - disappointed redstoners, but he focused when he spotted Doc’s name at the bottom of the line.

_ <Docm77> w _

_ <Docm77> wh _

_ <Cubfan135> :( _

_ <Docm77> why are you all sending frowny faces _

_ <Iskall85> scroll up dude, someone got grian with a redstone fucking machine :( _

_ <Docm77> WHAT _

_ <Docm77> NO _

_ <Docm77> WHO _

Grian was blushing, even as he snickered at just how upset everyone seemed. He hadn’t known that there were so many hermits that had been hoping to help him out with that achievement - even Doc, who’d been the one to challenge him in the first place. That was certainly flattering. Grian’s heart sped up just that tiny bit faster.

_ <Zedaph> don’t know man, no one has owned up to it yet _

_ <Docm77> goddammit _

_ <Docm77> first bdubs is all up in my business, accusing me of trespassing _

_ <TangoTek> Oh?? _

_ <Docm77> and then he suddenly rushes off just as soon as he came _

_ <Docm77> and now grian has gone ahead and done one of the most fun achievements? and he didn’t even ask me for help? _

_ <ImpulseSV> Nor did he ask any of us, apparently _

_ <Xisuma> hm… _

_ <Etho> I smell shenanigans. _

The conversation had trailed off, then, as the hour had gotten later. Grian scrolled through the sparse messages from the night, until he got to that morning. He was smirking before he’d even started reading the responses.

_Grian has made the achievement [Tip accordingly]_

_ <Docm77> OH COME ON _

_ <Docm77> seriously?? _

Grian burst out laughing again, but not too many others had responded to that one yet. It was still early, and apparently the redstone-achievement had been the one that had gathered up the most interest - that was, from the redstoners, at least.

That did give Grian some ideas, but that would have to be for later. Right now, he wanted to get on with gathering resources for his main base… although, he had one more thing to do before he could get ready.

_ <Grian> thank you so much for the help last night Doc <3 _

_ <Grian> it was greatly appreciated! _

He tapped his fingers against his thigh as he waited for the response to that, and luckily Grian didn’t have to wait long.

_ <TangoTek> WHA T _

_ <Zedaph> hey doc where are you right now, i just wanna talk i swear :) _

_ <Docm77> ?????? _

_ <Docm77> but i didn’t?? even SEE you last n _

_ <Docm77> wait _

_ <Xisuma> ? _

_ <Zedaph> out with it doc _

Grian bounced on his feet with impatience, but when no follow up message from Doc came, he decided to go for the kill.

_ <Grian> the nice surprise you left at Bdubs’ base? in the basement? :) _

_ <Grian> <3 _

_ <Docm77> WAIT THAT SHITTY OLD THING WAS WHAT GOT YUO _

And all hell broke loose in the chat.

Grian was grinning from ear to ear as he pocketed the communicator and got back into building mode.

He could read back on the aftermath in the chat later. For now, he had resources to get.

He knew what he wanted his main base to look like. The only thing he hadn’t been set on had been the block palate - but now, inspiration was flowing, and Grian was excited to get started. He knew he was going to need a lot of the materials, and, of course, he’d decided to go with some of the most complex blocks to produce.

It was time for him to raid an ocean monument.

  
  
  


Grian was standing on the beach of a small island. He was trembling, with nerves and excitement both, as well as the slight chill of the raw air drifting in from the sea beneath the overcast skies. Ocean monuments could be tricky, but Grian really needed one if he wanted to get enough dark prismarine to make up the roof of what was going to be his main build on this world.

He’d set his spawn in the bed he’d taken from Scar’s base, and dumped some tools and all of his armour in a chest that would be left behind on the island, just in case he were to die. Stress had offered to brew him some potions, and Grian was grateful. Invisibility and water breathing would make this so much easier than it could have been if he’d had to do it the old fashioned way - doors and shields and swords? No thank you.

Grian hurriedly removed the rest of his clothing, and the chill of the ocean breeze was enough to make goosebumps rise up on his bare skin. He checked that he had most of the potions with him, and then Grian felt about as ready as he was ever going to get.

He nodded, once, determinedly to himself, and then Grian was wading into the water.

It was cold, here, so far out at sea. When the water reached his waist, Grian uncorked the bottle of invisibility. Without the protection of armour, he’d rather not the guardians spot him at all - the lazer beams _hurt._

As he started swimming, more and more guardians could be seen flurrying around the exterior of the underwater monument. Grian felt quite small, outnumbered and outsized by the mobs and the structure looming in the depths. With one last gulp of fresh air, Grian popped the cap of a bottle of water breathing. He drank the glowing contents in one go - and then he delved into the deep.

Underwater breathing was something Grian didn’t think he’d ever get used to. Because, it was nothing like holding your breath. Grian was _breathing_ \- the heavy sensation of liquid filling his lungs, yet not experiencing the pain or irritation of it was something Grian tried very hard not to think about as he kept diving deeper and deeper.

The eyes of the guardians followed him as he passed them. Had Grian not seen it before, he’d have worried that the potion of invisibility had run out already - but he did have experience with the guardians, and so he wasn’t scared as he felt the dozens and dozens of intense gazes locked on him, but it wasn’t exactly comforting, either.

The sea lanterns lit up the entrance to the ocean monument, and Grian swam past it with practiced strokes, fluidly propelling himself forwards in the water as the turquoise of the prismarine halls led him down dizzying hallways and corridors, the colours shifting subtly enough to make Grian’s head spin, trying to keep track of his whereabouts in the maze-like structure.

There were even more guardians inside, but Grian did his best to ignore them.

It was the _elder_ guardians he was after.

It took more time than he would have liked, but eventually Grian made his way through the maze of corridors and different floors, and soon he was swimming past the opening of the cramped chamber where the large mob resided.

Grian made his way past one of the pillars in the room, wary of swimming into the painful spikes if the elder guardian snuck up on him—

A dull reddish eye was the first thing he saw, and the white pupil locked onto him immediately when Grian passed the corner. He felt his heart hammering in his chest, because the mob could _definitely_ see him - but it wasn’t attacking, so the potions did their job. The elder guardian ignored him, even as its eye remained locked to Grian’s invisible form. Grian slowly pulled out his sword, knowing that his tools and weapons would not be affected by the potions, but hoping that the mob wouldn’t pay it any mind, anyway.

The elder guardian turned its back to him, and just when he thought he was in the clear, the mob did a quick snap with its strong tail, causing Grian to silently cry out as the mob struck his hands, knocking the sword right out of his grip and making it to float uselessly up against the ceiling.

Well. So much for that.

He was about to swim up after it, when the mob turned back to face him - and then Grian couldn’t breathe. _Literally._

His eyes widened as one hand flew up to clutch at his throat, and a few bubbles of air - _not water_ \- spilled from his lips. Oh no.

Grian felt the guardian’s eye on him as he scrambled through his inventory to grab another potion. The lack of air was making him grow weak, clumsy, frightened - but he found the right bottle, and he uncorked and drank it all down greedily, sighing in relief as he felt the water soothingly filling his lungs again in the way that it was _supposed_ to, no matter how strange it had felt in the beginning.

Grian didn’t have the chance to gather his thoughts enough to realise he was visible and weaponless before the elder guardian slammed into him with painful force, the sharp thorns pinning him down to the floor of the underwater chamber.

Had his water filled lungs been able to produce a sound, he would have yelled - but as it was, his mouth only parted in a grimace of pain and fear as he felt some of the thorns pressing painfully into his thigh, shoulder and left arm, with even more surrounding him and restricting his movements as he flailed painfully beneath the elder guardian’s bulky frame.

Something soft and slimy prodded at his stomach, and Grian went still as confusion filled his mind. Nothing about the mob should, by any means, feel _soft._ As far as Grian knew, the guardians were all hard and rough, almost mechanical in nature - even their eyes were not vulnerable weak spots, like with every other creature and mob he knew of. So what—

Grian would have choked if his breath had been able to catch. As it was, the density of the water made his next inhale as smooth and even as his previous ones, and Grian looked down to confirm what he was starting to suspect - and yes.

The thing that was currently wriggling over his bare stomach, prodding at his navel, was… well, it _looked_ like a tentacle, but Grian was pretty sure it was meant to be a dick.

Grian watched in fascination, forgetting everything about his previous struggle as he observed the nimble limb, deep indigo in colour - the same hue as the guardian’s thorns, Grian absentmindedly noted - as it squirmed over the lower part of his torso.

The tip of it was about as wide as his thumb, but the tentacle quickly widened the closer to the elder guardian’s body it went, and Grian decided against trying to fight the mob off of him. He couldn’t say he hadn’t been… curious, one might say, about how the aquatic mobs fit into the achievements this season.

This seemed like a much better option than what he had been imagining. Riding the thorns or grinding against the tail would have taken much more preparation and precaution than it would have been worth, in Grian’s humble opinion.

Besides, how often did he get the chance to be fucked by an actual tentacle? The last time had been with Jevin in the previous season - and Grian silently moaned when he was reminded of that particular experience, Iskall and Jevin double teaming him back when the game of tag had been going on - and he parted his legs without thinking more about it, making a mental note of seeking Iskall and Jevin out in the nearby future.

One of his legs was pinned to the smooth prismarine floor, but his left one still had some leeway. Grian pulled the knee of his unrestrained leg towards his chest as far as it could go before it met the elder guardian’s lower body, effectively elevating his bottom half - even if only by a little.

Grian watched with nervous excitement as the slick tentacle wriggled over the planes of his stomach. He squirmed in place when it dipped once into his navel, where it tugged against the strangely sensitive skin, before moving on.

Slowly, it made its way down his body, past the trail of hairs leading downwards to where Grian’s dick was bobbing gently in the water. He was still soft, but he blamed that fact mostly on the chill and the lack of friction - Grian was quite excited for this, despite his nerves.

His body stiffened in surprise when the tentacle reached his dick, only to immediately curl around it. Then, it _squeezed,_ and Grian’s back arched up. The stinging from where his body was pressed further against the thorns didn’t quite register over the overwhelming feeling of tight, slick _warmth—_

The elder guardian’s organ uncurled from around his own, and Grian sagged back against the floor. He felt shaken - he hadn’t realised the mobs generated heat of any kind, and so he hadn’t expected the stark feeling of it around him in such a sensitive place. If anything, Grian was even _more_ excited about the prospect of getting the tentacle inside of him now.

It curled around his balls next, which took Grian by surprise. He flailed when the slick heat of the tentacle wrapped around them in a tight squeeze, _pumping_ his balls, once, twice—

Had Grian been able to cry out, he would have. It was rough, and _painful -_ and _hot._

Gods. He felt himself tearing up, mostly by how much warmer his eyes seemed to get, and his mouth was wailing soundlessly. The tentacle _finally_ released him, and Grian quietly sobbed as he felt his balls throb as they were freed from the tight grip. Grian sagged against the smooth floor, chest still hiccupping in uneven not-quite-breaths—

The elder guardian shifted, pressing just that tiny bit closer, grinding him down into the floor. Grian wheezed as he felt the skin of his thigh give under the pressure, the blood that seeped out from the small wound immediately being swept away by the gentle currents. It _stung,_ but Grian didn’t have the chance to decide if maybe it would be a better idea to come back to this particular mob with a partner in the future, rather than attempting it on his own… because the next thing he knew, the tip of the tentacle was prodding at the rim of his hole, the slick warmth covering the sensitive skin.

Grian was moaning before he knew it, even if no sound could be heard. The blunt tip breached him, wriggling in—

He had almost expected for the large mob to use its body to thrust the organ deeper inside of him, but that was not what happened. The elder guardian remained motionless, thorns keeping Grian pinned down and imobile while the tentacle kept squirming in deeper and deeper, curling up before reaching deeper still inside of him.

Grian’s back arched against the cold floor, feeling another sharp stab of pain in his thigh without paying it any mind - the heat inside him was making it hard to think of anything else. It was such a bright contrast against the chill of the water, the pain and slight numbness in his limbs.

His chest was heaving, and the tentacle curled back on itself, still inside. Grian’s eyes went wide as he tried to scream.

A quick look down told him that barely half of the mob’s dick was inside of him, and it was already filling him up so good. Grian’s body tried to make noise, but his vocal cords wouldn’t work with the water, leaving his mouth mindlessly gaping and gasping as the tentacle uncurled and started _thrusting._

It was so _warm._ The width of the tentacle increased more and more the deeper inside of him it went, and Grian didn’t think the stretch would affect him as much as it did - his mind couldn’t quite wrap around just how _big_ it felt within him, how the elder guardian somehow fed _more_ of its cock inside him with every thrust of the limb.

Grian was spasming with it, his stomach contracting as he felt the heat sear through him, aided by the sharp sparks of pain that radiated from his walls being stretched so roughly, so quickly, and from where his body was being pinned down.

His eyes had closed at some point, but Grian thought he could _taste_ the faint metallic copper of blood in the water as his limbs continued to struggle, making the elder guardian’s thorns dig deeper into his skin.

The tip of the tentacle prodded at a sensitive spot somewhere deep inside him, and Grian’s back snapped flat against the prismarine floor as his body tried to make the sudden numbing pain stop - his dick was throbbing painfully, it was all—

Grian went still as he felt the tentacle go further, past the painful area and wriggling in so mindbogglingly _deep—_

Warmth flushed through him when he came, muscles contracting down on the slick heat of the tentacle inside him and making it feel like his nerves were all lighting up, just for a moment - the powerful wave of heat and pleasure receded, and Grian held his breath, limbs tensing up.

Another wave beat through him, and the tentacle was still moving, slipping out before spearing back in, except the stretch wasn’t accommodated by twinges of pain now - what flashed out from the muscles of his hole was numb pleasure, winding through him and elevating Grian’s release, dick twitching uselessly as he came.

Every flash of warmth through him left him feeling dizzy, more winded than the last, until, finally, Grian was spent and shivering.

The tentacle was still going, but Grian could barely feel it - the rush of endorphins was numbing his body, making everything feel good and soft and nice.

Grian half-heartedly squirmed when he felt his lower back give a twinge at the tentacle’s next thrust inwards. The width was still increasing, and Grian’s cooling body was slowly catching up with it, small aches and pains registering within his mind as he came down from his orgasm.

He groaned as he felt his muscles protest, weakly fighting against the next thrust - then the tentacle slid in deeper, and the ache faded into pleasure. Grian sighed, the water moving slowly around him.

A little while later, it happened again. The stretch became more prominent, the ache settling within him - no sound escaped him as he whimpered, limbs squirming fruitlessly as he tried to escape the painful feeling, a gentle swell within the tentacle catching against the outside of his rim, only soothed by the warm slickness of the tentacle finally sliding against his inner walls, caressing him from the inside. A rush of pleasure beat through him when more of the tentacle was stuffed inside him, the extra width slipping in, and Grian’s toes curled at the full feeling.

The third time it happened, Grian slowly started noticing what was going on.

The slight swell within the tentacle inside him, passing slowly through the limb before painstakingly being pushed past his rim, Grian’s muscles accepting it easier this time - and a wave of arousal so powerful that it made him feel slightly dizzy washed over him when he realised that the mob was _filling_ him—

No, _depositing_ something inside of him. Grian was acutely reminded of the eggs at Cub’s triple spider spawner, and he clenched down sharply on the tentacle slowly moving inside him.

The elder guardian didn’t give him anymore of its eggs - _if_ Grian was right, and that was what it was. Ever so slowly, the tentacle slipped out of him. 

Grian panted tiredly as he watched the dusky coloured limb retract back into the elder guardian’s body, the slit it had come from sealing back around it.

His stomach didn’t feel as full as it had before, but there was definitely _something_ left inside him. Grian slowly shifted his weight, limbs bobbing gently in the water beneath the large mob that still kept him pinned to the prismarine floor, and yep. He could feel the rubbery orbs moving somewhere deep inside of him.

The thorns retracted.

Grian saw a glimpse of enchanted teal, shimmering against the roof of the chamber, being revealed when the elder guardian left him with a lazy beat of its strong tail.

He clenched his teeth around the whimper that wanted to spill from his lips as his thigh throbbed when he started moving, and with a kick of his legs, the diamond sword was back in Grian’s hands.

Taking out the elder guardian went easily, after that.

One down, two to go.

  
  
  


Grian’s run in with the second elder guardian went almost exactly the same way as it had with the previous one. He didn’t run out of potion this time, keeping a watchful eye on the timers counting the lasting effects down, but Grian willingly let the invisibility run out without refilling it once he’d found the guardian’s chamber.

It only took moments before the elder guardian was on him, pinning Grian down against the floor with its thorns.

He was slightly better positioned this time, having managed to spread his legs as he was pushed towards the prismarine bricks, and so it didn’t take much time at all before the slippery organ was squirming out from the slit that had been covering it, only for it to immediately reach between Grian’s legs and start stuffing him full.

Grian didn’t really know when he’d decided to let all three of them fuck him, but the ‘when’ didn’t really matter. At some point, he _had,_ and he wasn’t regretting it.

During Grian’s swim from one elder guardian to the next, the rubbery eggs had slowly moved further down from where they’d been left so deep inside him, but the tentacle currently filling him was quickly taking care of that. Grian’s eyelashes fluttered when he felt the slippery limb _shoving_ the eggs back inside of him, so deep that his legs trembled with it, back arching.

The tentacle moved in jerky thrashes, almost flailing around inside of him as it squirmed out before spearing back in. Grian winced when it hit his prostate like that, head-on, the pain of the direct stimulation enough to make him writhe at the sensation, all the while his dick was filling back up again, slowly growing harder at the merciless friction.

One egg was stuffed inside him, then another. Both left the tentacle while it was so deep inside of him that Grian couldn’t really tell when they slipped out - just that they did, the wonderful ache and weight of them being left behind even when the tentacle pulled back.

It fucked two more of the things inside of him while Grian soundlessly moaned in ecstasy - and then it was over. The elder guardian’s dick slipped out of him, leaving the four new eggs in addition to the previous three, and while the weight of them felt wonderful, amazing—

It wasn’t enough to make him come. And Grian was kind of pissed about it.

Once the thorns retracted, freeing him from being forcefully pinned down against the prismarine bricks of the chamber, Grian made quick work of slicing the elder guardian down. His limbs were trembling as he moved, the feeling of being edged was enough to make him uncoordinated, impatient - and perhaps that was why his run in with the third and final elder guardian went so differently than the previous two.

Grian was careless, and just desperate enough that he didn’t care about taking another invisibility potion at all. He swam as fast as he could towards the last chamber, knowing the layout of where to find _this_ guardian, at least, by heart.

He was so hard he was throbbing. Each kick of his legs made the orbs shift around inside him, and Grian was panting and flushed, despite the chill of the water. The opening to the last chamber was in sight, and Grian sped up with excitement.

Only a few more meters now…

Grian sped past the entrance, and something big and solid immediately slammed into his side, knocking him into the wall.

The back of his head slammed into the smooth bricks, his elbow smashing into a sea lantern, cracking the surface of it and making the room grow darker, bright spots dancing in Grian’s vision as he blinked.

The elder guardian was upon him in seconds.

The thorns dug into his upper body, keeping Grian pressed up against the wall, and he moaned from the anticipation and from the pain, both. He was still hard. Grian didn’t feel like anything was broken (other than the sea lantern), and though he’d taken a bit of damage at the rough impact, he was quickly regenerating health back to an acceptable level. It would be fine, Grian thought to himself. The elder guardian would give him a few more eggs, make him come, and then Grian would kill it and the temple would be ready for him to collect all the dark prismarine in the morning. He could indulge himself for a little while longer.

Something soft and slick touched his cheek.

Grian blinked his eyes back open, wincing a bit as his head throbbed one last time as he finished healing fully, and he squinted to try and see past the dark shadows the large mob casted between them with the lack of light in their corner of the chamber.

His eyes widened as he realised what was different.

Grian’s lower body was not being pinned down - only his torso. The things prodding at his cheek, slowly trailing down the edge of his jaw, was the elder guardian’s cock. The dusky tentacle was positioned more-or-less directly in front of Grian’s face, rather than anywhere near his lower body, and _oh._

The heat inside him _surged_ at the realisation, and Grian silently groaned as he let himself slump back against the wall he was being pinned to, legs drifting uselessly in the gently flowing water surrounding him.

The tentacle squirmed as it seemed to follow the subtle change in the water’s direction as Grian opened his mouth, and suddenly Grian had a mouthful of tentacle wriggling past his lips.

He let his eyes slip shut, another wave of heat beating through him as he let himself relax, _allowing_ the mob to do with him as it pleased.

The tip prodded at the back of his throat, and Grian swallowed around it, trying to keep himself from gagging - and the tentacle slipped down before he could so much as blink. Grian whined silently as he let his jaw relax, mouth gaping slightly as the tentacle shoved deeper, slipping out for a few moments to pet around the inside of his cheeks, pressing against the skin and making Grian’s cheek bulge outwards for a moment, and then it delved right back into the heat of his throat.

As more and more of the length entered his mouth, the stretch in his throat soon became an uncomfortable burn, and Grian tensed up as he felt heat sting behind his closed eyelids.

The slight fear that came with the pain did nothing to make his erection go down - if anything, Grian’s eyes rolled slightly back in his head as the heat was consuming him alive, pressure and pain and fear and warm, slick friction, the eggs inside him, as well as the feeling of being _used_ all melded together and made him burn, burn, burn—

Something touched his knee. Grian jerked beneath the elder guardian in surprise, eyes shooting back open as his gaze flailed around before trying to look down, seeing what it was that that startled him.

A guardian. Not an elder guardian, no, the one currently pinning Grian to the wall was the last one in the temple. A regular guardian. Grian’s muscles clenched down on the eggs helplessly as his legs flailed, and through the haze of pleasure filling his mind Grian realised that the lack of invisibility on his way to the last chamber must have led some of the smaller mobs there with him—

Something slick was prodding at his thigh, squirming around the sensitive skin there. Grian groaned silently, and parted his legs to allow the guardian better access to him. He might have been able to come just from the tentacle in his mouth and the eggs inside him, but this was even _better,_ even _filthier._

The elder guardian shoved down his throat again, the slim tip going easily, but it soon filled out as more of it pressed past Grian’s lips, and he felt himself growing dizzy with the lack of proper breath, with the ache in his head as the pressure increased. His throat was _burning_ as the tentacle stuffed itself into his mouth, filling his cheeks and forcing more of its length down his throat.

The slick movements between his legs shifted around as well, and then Grian felt the heat coiling up behind his balls give a sharp yank towards his spine when the guardian’s cock caught the edge of his rim before immediately squirming past the stretched out muscles and dipping past his entrance, wriggling in deeper.

His throat was on fire, and his lungs ached. The small but deft tentacle in his ass prodded at his prostate, and Grian’s body seized beneath the two mobs. His dick was throbbing, and he helplessly clenched down, feeling the eggs shift around, rubbing against one another somewhere deep inside him.

The elder guardian swelled in his mouth, stretching the corners of Grian’s lips past the point of pain as he had no choice but to take it - and he realised that the mob was preparing to deposit an egg.

Down his _throat._

Grian had no excuse for how that exact thought was what pushed him over the edge, his mind going blank and his limbs tensing up - and then he was coming, the heat inside him roaring into an all-consuming darkness as it swallowed him whole, burning through his limbs and making his blood boil as he thrashed between the guardians.

He couldn’t see, he couldn’t think.

The only thing registering with him was how the orb moving through the tentacle in his mouth felt when it was forced down his throat, moving slowly but surely as waves of pleasure overcame the pain pulsing through him.

There was a sudden burst of heat when the tentacle in his ass jerked sharply before going still, and then warmth was pooling inside him as the guardian came.

Then, it pulled out, leaving its release to turn the water around Grian’s behind cloudy, and before Grian could decide how he felt about that, another slippery limb was taking the last one’s place, squirming deep, deep inside him and stroking against his inner walls.

Another egg started moving through the tentacle in his mouth, and Grian was gone.

  
  
  


Not much time could have passed before Grian floated back into his body, consciousness settling back over him like a heavy blanket. He blinked his eyes back open - and the stinging in his throat made him cry out sharply as the cool water rushed past it at his next inhale.

He was still able to breathe the water though, and his mouth was free. He wheezed at the realisation, feeling sluggish, and when his eyes finally managed to focus past the pain, he noticed that he wasn’t alone.

Grian was still in the elder guardian’s chamber, and the large mob was lazily swimming around the small space, back turned to him.

Grian himself had drifted down to lie against the floor when the elder guardian was no longer pinning him up against the wall, and when Grian looked down, between his still spread legs—

A silent sob tore out of him in a painful bubble of water when he felt another guardian prodding at his hole. Grian wasn’t hard, not anymore, but his body was still overheated, aching, and he felt bloated with the eggs and come filling him. As he looked down at the guardian, it was inevitable for Grian to catch sight of his stomach, and _oh._

Another guardian swam up to him, and another tentacle was prodding at his lips, thankfully smaller than the elder guardian had been.

Grian felt dizzy enough at the sight of his own midsection, where a _prominent_ bulge could be seen, that he just let his head rest against the floor of the chamber, before tiredly parting his lips. If the mobs in the room could just grow tired of him, he’d be able to take another invisibility potion and get rid of the last elder guardian - and then he could get out. Return back to the surface to rest, maybe, but for right now, Grian had no delusions that he would be able to fight the smaller mobs off without armour, slow and heavy as he was.

The thin tip of the tentacle prodded at the back of his throat, almost curiously - and Grian gagged. His throat was already so sore and irritated—

The guardian shoved inside him anyway, the mob uncaring about the discomfort Grian was feeling. The tentacle in his ass pressed sharply against his prostate, and Grian felt his dick twitch painfully. He was still soft, but the relentless mobs just kept going. He was squirming, gasping. The guardians kept moving.

The one in his ass finished first, and Grian’s chest heaved when he felt the mob spilling inside him before pulling back out. No other guardians came to take its place, and Grian whined around the tentacle in his mouth as he felt the orbs shifting around inside him, more and more liquid spilling out from his relaxed muscles.

Grian squeezed his eyes shut against the sting in his throat when the guardian came in his mouth, the tip shoving down his throat to spill into his stomach, giving him no choice but to swallow.

The last mob pulled back, and then Grian was left shivering and gasping against the floor of the chamber. The guardians swam off. Grian breathed.

It took the underwater breathing potion starting to run out for Grian to feel like moving again. He clumsily retrieved another bottle from his inventory, and he whined as he swallowed the liquid down. It stung his throat, and the added fullness in his stomach didn’t help him feel more comfortable - but breathing was worth it. He guessed. In _theory._

The water breathing potion did its job. Grian fumbled through his inventory as he looked for the other potions.

One potion of invisibility later, and Grian killed the last elder guardian, limbs trembling to the point where he wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to hold on to his sword.

He mined his way out through the roof, now that the elder guardians’ spell was no longer residing over the ocean monument. He might be slow and clumsy, but Grian was thankful for the weightlessness being under water granted him. The surface was in sight as Grian slowly ascended, legs kicking tiredly as he swam upwards.

His head broke the surface of the water with a gasp.

The skies were overcast and grey, but it was still day, so far as Grian could tell.

Good. He could work with that.

Grian started swimming towards the small island he’d set his spawn on, a chest with his belongings and spare potions standing on the beach where he’d left it, one lone torch lighting up his way like a beacon, drawing him in with the promise of rest.

Soon the water was shallow enough for Grian to attempt to stand back up in order to wade the rest of the way onto the beach, but the moment his shaking legs tried to carry his weight, the increase in gravity from beneath the waves became too much. He collapsed back onto his hands and knees in the water with a sob, the eggs shifting around inside him as more come dripped from his ass.

Slowly, Grian crawled further onto the shallows, until he could crouch somewhat comfortably in the water without having to worry about waves suddenly submerging him.

The day was growing darker, or Grian was closer to passing out than he’d realised.

With water up to his ribs, Grian kneeled on trembling limbs, spreading his legs as he decided it would be better for him to get this part over with, so he could climb into the bed waiting for him on the beach for him to rest in until morning.

Grian vividly remembered Cub guiding him through much of the same process, of the other man easing him through the act of expelling the eggs. He could get through it alone this time, Grian was sure. He let his hands rest beneath the water, settling on the swell of his stomach. Grian gritted his teeth - and then he pushed.

The rubbery orbs shifted inside him. Their movements were slick, slicker than the spider eggs had been. It came a little easier to him than it had back at Cub’s spawner, but as Grian slowly and painstakingly forced the elder guardians’ eggs out of him, it still took more energy than what he had to spare.

The orbs rubbed against one another on their way out. Grian’s mind was hazy, and his head was pounding. There was drool running down his chin from how hard he was panting, low groans and wheezes escaping him whenever the eggs passed over his prostate.

Grian’s dick was aching at each jolt of pleasure that shot through him, but he remained soft. He was _exhausted,_ but god, if it wasn’t hot, in a weird, messed up way.

He’d counted five of the orbs leaving him, sinking uselessly to the sandy ocean floor Grian was kneeling on. If he remembered correctly, there were only two more to go, what with the rest having been forced down his throat - Grian’s dick throbbed hotly at the reminder, and he sobbed quietly, surrounded by gentle waves - when suddenly, through the daze of his muddled mind, Grian heard a noise.

Grian blinked through the tears blurring his vision - he wasn’t really sure when he’d started crying, but he wasn’t _hurt,_ just tired and overstimulated. His ears sharpened as he looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of what might have made the sound he’d heard.

The sun was nowhere to be seen, a thick, dark layer of clouds tinting the sky a deep grey colour. It wasn’t night yet, the air was too warm for that, but it was still dark enough that when Grian finally saw movement in the water, squinting as he tried to make out the shape, it took another of the strange, gurgling sounds for him to recognise the mob for what it was.

A drowned was making its way over to him, sluggishly moving through the water until it staggered up on two legs once it reached the shallows. Another bone-chilling gurgle sounded from the mob - and Grian just about jumped out of his skin when he heard the same noise echoing back from behind him.

A quick turn of his head told him that there were two more drowned wading closer to him from the opposite side of the shallows.

Grian trembled. He was so tired - but he only had two more eggs to go. He should be fine to move with them still inside, and since it was day, the mobs should leave him alone once he was out of the water.

He scrambled on unsteady limbs, before feeling how weak his legs were - it made him give up on standing up _real_ quick, and so Grian panted harshly as he attempted to make his way back onto the shore on his hands and knees, wincing as every movement caused his body to _throb._

Another gurgling groan came from right in front of him. Grian’s head shot up, and his eyes landed on another drowned making its way across the small island Grian was trying to get to.

He didn’t know what to do.

Grian turned around, trying to get away from the mobs by heading the opposite direction - two of the drowned were standing where Grian had just been. His eyes widened as his lips parted to form a soft ‘o’ once he realised what the drowned were doing.

They were destroying the eggs.

Of course. Drowned didn’t like guardians. Drowned didn’t like eggs.

It figured that they wouldn’t like guardian eggs, either.

The third mob was heading towards him while the two others were distracted by the soft eggs left beneath the water, and Grian remembered with a start that he still had eggs inside him. He didn’t know if the drowned were able to tell, or if they came for him simply because he was a player, but he didn’t want to stick around to find out if he could help it.

His limbs ached and his muscles burned as Grian slumped backwards in his hurry to scramble away from the drowned approaching him. His head ducked beneath the water as Grian lost his balance, and he sputtered as he raised himself back up again on his arms.

Grian heard the fourth drowned groan wetly at him _just_ before his back crashed into the mob’s legs - and Grian felt his stomach drop. He’d forgotten about the last one.

Before he could attempt to get away, the drowned that had been approaching him got close enough to box him in, essentially trapping him between the two mobs.

Grian blinked up at the one in front of him. They seemed to be at a standstill for a long moment, both mobs gurgling and hissing at him, but otherwise not moving. Grian stared at them, waiting to see what the drowned would do.

The mob in front of him groaned, the noise sounding wet and painful, and then the drowned staggered even closer to him. Grian flinched when the cold skin of the undead mob’s hips bumped against the side of his face, one of his eyes slipping shut instinctively as he let out an indignant noise—

Oh.

Cold, hard hands curled up in his hair, scratching roughly against his scalp as the drowned gripped him tight and forced Grian to straighten up, still seated in the water between them as he was. He cried out sharply at the sting—

The sound was cut off abruptly as he choked on the cock suddenly pressing past his lips.

Grian squeezed his eyes shut, tears pooling up as he gagged. His throat was still raw and sore from the elder guardian and its eggs, and as the zombie’s hips snapped against his face, the blunt head of the mob’s cock shoving down his throat, it didn’t exactly do his abused mouth any favours.

Despite how much it stung, Grian let his jaw go lax, and he didn’t fight against the hands holding him still.

He focused on breathing shallowly through his nose, willing himself to tune out how his throat burned with every thrust, trying not to gag against the taste of sea salt and something just slightly _off._

The drowned fucked his mouth while Grian trembled between them, cold hands gripping his hair. Every now and then a thrust from the mob would be especially hard, making him wince as it tugged painfully at the roots of his hair.

The drowned didn’t come down his throat.

Grian choked again when the mob pulled out halfway - and promptly started spilling over his tongue, painting the back of his throat with its release. He coughed violently when he almost inhaled some of the vile liquid, and by the time Grian managed to stop moving, come and drool and tears were smeared over his cheeks, running down his chin as he panted harshly.

He was boneless in the zombie’s grip. When the two mobs snarled and started moving him, Grian let them. He was too exhausted to fight against it, and by this point it really seemed to be fifty-fifty if they’d manage to make him come again, or if he’d end up respawning on the small island just a few short meters in front of him. Either way, he’d be fine.

He shuffle-walked on his knees as the two mobs dragged him a bit closer to the beach before yanking him by the hair back onto his hands and knees. His hands immediately gave out under him, and Grian ended up letting his head slump down to rest on his forearms. The water was shallow enough for his airways to stay in the clear for the most part.

Cold, clammy hands spread his cheeks, and Grian croaked out a tired moan. Then nails were digging into his skin, and the moan swallowed his voice entirely as it gave way to a breathy scream.

That was all the warning he got before the zombie thrusted inside of him - and Grian’s eyes rolled back into his head as his vision went dark.

He could feel the cold length nudging against the remaining eggs. Moving them around, shoving them _back inside him—_

The cold skin pressing up against him hardly felt any different in temperature from how chilled his own limbs had gotten from being so long in the water - but _inside_ him was another matter. Grian squirmed mindlessly as his own hips switched between bucking away from and back into the feeling. He was taking raspy breaths, barely flinching when a small wave washed in and some of the water got into his gaping mouth.

Gods, but he must have looked a mess.

The drowned wasn’t as big as the elder guardian had been, not by a long shot. Not as long, nor as wide. But the mobs were relentless, and after the first one had spilled in his ass, Grian didn’t have time to do more than let out a pitiful whine before the next one had taken its place.

There were more of the mobs now, and Grian distantly realised that they must have finished destroying the eggs he’d left behind before.

He felt the eggs shift inside him, the sharp pinch of nails biting into his skin, scratching his hips and thighs raw - the skies opened up, and heavy, fat droplets of rain showered down over mobs and players alike, pelting the surface of the water. It almost covered up the sounds of the drowned. Grian was thankful.

Grian’s eyes were closed, his face pressed down into his folded arms. When the booming sound of thunder rumbled overhead, it came as a surprise to him. He hadn’t seen any lightning, and so he didn’t know how far away the storm was—

Another lightning strike, blindingly bright against the darkness Grian’s eyes had slowly gotten used to, was enough to make him cry out in alarm. He could see that the lone tree of the small island in front of him had caught on fire, and Grian’s ears were ringing just slightly.

It wasn’t loud enough to cover up the metallic ‘clank’ of a trident striking the shore just a few paces in front of him.

The fright caused his body to tense up so sharply, clenching down on the dick inside him as his lungs emptied themselves of air, eyes squeezing shut - another dry orgasm ripped its way through him.

It _hurt._ Not even the chill of the water against his skin was enough to cool down the inferno burning him from the inside out as already tense muscles contracted even further.

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think.

The spark of fear, how on edge he’d been. It was all too much.

By the time Grian’s senses started working again, he heard more than he felt himself making pitiful-sounding whines. He was shivering, trembling uncontrollably, and it was causing the surface of the water he was kneeling in to ripple around him.

The drowned was still fucking him, but Grian’s body felt strangely numb. Each thrust, though he could feel it, and he _knew_ it should probably have been painful from how overstimulated he was, and from how many orgasms he’d had already - but the only thing he could feel was a dull, noncommittal pleasant wave that spread through him every time the mob bottomed out.

Grian realised he was clumsily rocking his own hips back to meet the zombie halfway. He couldn’t find it in himself to care.

A whimper spilled from his lips when the drowned stopped moving, gurgling harshly behind him - and then another wave of cool liquid was being spilled inside him.

Another loud, metallic ‘clank’ rang out across the water.

Grian looked up with misty eyes. It felt like a victory that he was still able to raise his head - it felt like such a monumental task. He could see the fifth drowned, now. It had its arm raised, trident poised and ready to strike. Grian trembled as he locked gazes with dead, white eyes—

He closed his eyes, trembling with anticipation as he waited for the trident to leave the hands of its master. For the disorienting feeling of respawning.

It never came.

The drowned that had been fucking him pulled out. Grian gasped as it happened, feeling himself clench down, expecting the devastating feeling of _nothing_ \- but he wasn’t empty. His muscles constricted around the guardian eggs, and Grian could feel the come shifting around inside him as well. It caused his dick to twitch - and then Grian was screaming.

His dick was so spent, so sensitive—

Cold, dead hands wrapped around his torso, and Grian went limp as he was drawn back up to a kneeling position in the water. He was pulled back against the mob’s chest, but it didn’t rip his throat out, and so he let it happen.

Grian was panting, wheezing. Sobbing, maybe. He didn’t know. He felt so weak.

Another drowned dropped down to its knees in front of him. Grian slowly blinked at it, wondering what the mob was going to do. It snarled at him, moving in closer—

Grian was pressed between the two drowned, head resting on the cold shoulder of the mob behind him. The zombie in front of him gripped at his knees, and Grian let himself be moved. The arms around his chest held him steady while the mob at his front rearranged his legs until they were less underneath him and more in an almost seated position slightly in front of him, the drowned gripping him beneath his bent knees.

The drowned leaned in between his spread legs—

Ah.

Grian moaned helplessly as he felt the mob’s cold dick nudging against his still dripping hole. It pressed in with ease, the drowned gurgling happily, and Grian whined as he felt the head of the cock nudging against his prostate. He was so overly sensitive, it felt like lightning and fire and ice and everything bad and _wonderful,_ all at once. Grian was shivering and sweating and crying and moaning. Burning and freezing and twitching.

Then, one of the arms around his chest dropped away, and Grian slumped a bit further down on the cock inside him. His body seized for a moment at the harsh press against his prostate at that - and then there was _another_ cock nudging at his hole.

Grian’s breath escaped him in a wheeze.

The head of the cock slipped in, his muscles too stretched out and relaxed to offer much resistance.

The arm wrapped back around him - and shoved him down on the two dicks until they were both fully sheathed inside him.

His senses were going haywire. The stretch wasn’t too much, it was _perfect_ \- but it was wide, and cold, yet still on the soft side, and his mind couldn’t comprehend it. Two cold bodies surrounding his own, snarls in his ears, the rain pelting his face and shoulders in an almost soothingly rhythmic pattern—

The drowned in front of him pressed even closer against him. Grian felt the pressure against his stomach, and he could _feel_ the eggs and come shifting around inside him. No sounds were escaping him now, despite how his mouth was gaping, hopelessly trying to draw in enough air into his aching lungs.

And then the zombies started moving him. The mobs themselves didn’t move, no. They gripped him tight and raised him up before letting him drop back down on their cocks.

Grian’s eyes slipped shut, and he didn’t have the strength to open them again. The last thing he saw before his world was reduced to sounds and touches and smells, was the fifth drowned standing by the edge of the water, waves lapping at its feet, dead eyes staring right at him.

The trident was still raised.

After everything went black, the mobs just kept going. The pace was relentless and brutal, and Grian was overwhelmed. It was so painful that it felt _amazing._ It was so good that it _hurt._

It felt like his stomach was dropping to somewhere beneath the waves, sinking like a stone to rest on the sand. An almost guilty kind of relief swept over him, and Grian moaned hoarsely as he felt a pleasant numbness tug at his aching limbs, the mobs still lifting him up and down on their cocks.

Grian had no strength to even raise his head.

He thought he might have come again.

He saw a bright light flash against the backs of his eyelids, the darkness turning red for a second - and his ears were filled with the loud booming of thunder, the electricity rattling the world around him.

The cold inside of him spread, and Grian thought the drowned might have been releasing inside him, and then he was dropped.

Grian landed in a mess of limbs. The water washed over his exhausted body, tugging slightly at his arms and legs as he let himself breathe. His body barely felt like it was _his_ anymore. Grian’s tether to consciousness was so frail in that moment that it was all he could do to focus on the rise and fall of his chest, and the feeling of water lapping at his skin.

He heard the zombies snarling and gurgling, and the sound of water moving as one of the mobs walked towards him. The metallic sound of the trident, and a responding pained hiss from one of the drowned behind him.

Grian breathed.

Something was lifting him - no, raising his hips. Grian didn’t have the strength to keep the position once the drowned’s hands left him, and no sooner had he slumped back to the sand again before the hands were back, cold fingers digging into his thighs and hips and holding him up in a kneeling position, ass in the air and chest down.

He breathed.

**_Clank._ **

Grian flinched at the sound of the trident striking the ground right behind him. His breathing hitched, and then he went back to resting. _Waiting._

He didn’t know how, but Grian wasn’t surprised at the first touch of the blunt end of the trident’s handle nudging between his legs. Maybe some part of him had expected it, had realised what the drowned was planning from the moment it had failed to strike him down.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t surprised at how good it felt, how _intense_ it was, the first moment when the smooth tip of the handle caught on his rim. Grian’s back bowed - and the handle pressed _in._

It was warmer than the drowneds’ dicks had been.

The faint simmer of enchantments was clinging to the weapon’s surface, and Grian cried out as he felt the tingles of magic buzz against his insides. The length of the trident was pressed in deeper—

Grian’s eyes snapped open, and he saw white.

His body locked up, limbs freezing as his breath got stuck in his throat.

The current of the magic clinging to the trident was lighting up his nerve endings, the tip of the handle pressing directly into his prostate—

And then Grian’s body gave out, and unconsciousness claimed him.

  
  
  


When he awoke, it was to the softness of a mattress beneath him, and the pale light of the sky just before sunrise stinging at his eyes.

Grian sat up in bed, feeling a bit out of it, just a bit detached and disoriented still. He blinked slowly as he took in his surroundings.

The small, sandy island. The lone tree that was slightly singed, small plumes of smoke still rising from the few remaining leaves and branches. The chest by the bed, a jungle plank boat bobbing in the gentle waves by the beach.

Nothing seemed out of place.

Grian looked down, and his stomach was flat.

He pressed one hand to the pale skin above his navel. He couldn’t feel any traces of the elder guardian eggs he knew for a fact he’d never gotten out last night. He couldn’t remember any of the drowned carrying him to the bed, either. He also felt surprisingly fine - not many aches or pains, despite how roughly the mobs had treated him.

He must have respawned at some point, then.

Grian pulled out his communicator.

_Grian has made the achievement [Lightning strike]_

Then, a few minutes later,

_Grian drowned_

The mobs hadn’t killed him after he had passed out - they just hadn’t cared enough to save him from drowning in the shallow water after his body had given up on moving.

A slow smile started spreading across Grian’s face.

That had been a lot of fun. It was a relief to know that the mobs apparently hadn’t turned hostile after they were done with him, either. It made him breathe a little bit easier when he thought of the dragon awaiting him sometime in the near future.

Grian got out of bed, and he looked through the chest, wanting to check up on his supplies.

He still had some potions left. It would be easy enough to gather the dark prismarine of the ocean monument, so long as he didn’t run out of invisibility long enough for the guardians to gang up on him again - not that he’d necessarily _mind,_ but Grian kind of wanted to visit another hermit later in the day.

It had been way too long since he’d seen Iskall, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song rec: Beneath the Waves - Ayreon

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Enjoying the Pack](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016432) by [Sharo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharo/pseuds/Sharo)




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